#housingstuff

It’s all too easy to take for granted and forget how extraordinarily fortunate you are. As the stress and workload of college increases, I find myself being guilty of this more and more often. This Thanksgiving break has been wonderful and has given me some time and space to remember how lucky I am. So here are a few things I’m thankful for: My family: I've missed them so much. Even though they’re far from perfect, I’m so glad that I have them, and I’m able to spend Thanksgiving with them. My friends from high school: We’ve been through so much together. They’re always there for me. They understand me better than anyone else, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without them. My friends from college: They are a major part of what has made college so great. We haven’t known each other for long, but we have a lot of great times together ahead of us. My dorm: I have the best dorm ever. We’re like a family of 94 people. They’re so supportive and friendly and open and just fantastic. My classes and professors: They are amazing. They challenge me and force me to think in new ways. I've already noticed that the way I think has changed because of them. The fact that I’m attending Stanford: As a guy in my dorm said in a moment of extreme corny-ness, “Everyday here is the fulfillment of a dream," and it's true. Every year, thousands of people dream about coming here to live and learn, and I am one of the fortunate few who are able to achieve that dream. I am so grateful. The simple pleasures: the beach the sound of the ocean delicious California burritos peppermint mochas interesting conversations late-night escapades on the boat playground swings eggnog the fact that I’m done with college admissions my Queen sized bed hot showers pumpkin carving adventures in new and old places rediscovering Modest Mouse Christmas music warm, long hugs Battlestar Galactica PSETs sleeping in my friend’s Netflix account the sound of rain mashed potatoes the teachings of the Wizard being alive the memories of the past the hope of the future the glory of the present

Word of Advice: If you're going to college someplace cold, get proper snow gear. It's all fun and games until someone looses a toe to frostbite. 

And finally, this is my ghetto method of storing my food:

My dorm is absolutely amazing. We have 5 Canadians residing in it, so on Sunday we celebrated CANADIAN THANKSGIVING! We gathered around the ping pong table in the lounge, ate mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, Olive Garden salad, and pretzels, sang the Canadian national anthem (well the Canadians did), and went around the table saying what we were thankful for. We expected maybe 10 people to show up, but at least half of the dorm was there if not more. While sitting there, talking with my dormmates and eating good food, I realized that I really did feel like they were my family.