Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is the best holiday.  There's no hype, then it's just here, and everyone is together and eating and it is wonderful.  It is my favorite, and although I'm missing my family back home, I might feel even more thankful for things than I ever have before.  There are the materialistic things: good, vitamin rich food, running water, the internet, and my Kindle are all things I'm thankful for.  I'm also thankful for road repair teams that have the thankless job of getting rid of those menacing potholes.  This year, however, I've been looking at the bigger picture: if I wasn't born into the life I have, where would I be?  The possibilities are endless.

Comparing myself to the girls in my village, I know exactly what I'm thankful for.  I'm thankful for being given the opportunity to learn and better myself at any moment.  At no point in my life did my parents tell me I couldn't go to school.  At no point did they insist I break free of my childhood and start pulling my own weight workwise.  At no point  was I ever made to feel inferior to my brother just because I was born a girl.  I've been watching these girls struggle against gender norms and it is just so bizarre to me.  I've been listening to people argue for the girls, yet there is still the older generation that insists it is the girls who don't want to learn.  This may be true for some girls; school isn't for everyone, and it is especially challenging when it is not taught in one's native tongue.  That is not, however, the majority's opinion.  While I watch this struggle I am also able to witness the growth that is happening, certainly slowly but also surely.

So I am thankful for my supportive parents, supportive teachers, supportive grandparents and coaches and friends, and my supportive government.  Thank you for giving me an equal opportunity.  Thank you for encouraging me and instilling a desire to continue learning.  Thank you for never making me feel like a second class citizen.  Happy Thanksgiving!