HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! 🦃 by Hala K. '29

Whenever someone wishes me a Happy Thanksgiving, I can’t help but respond “Yara has a peath sign on her head!”

At around age 7, while playing games with my older sister, Yara, she pulled out her phone and started recording. Laughing, she begged, “Say it! Say it!” It was Thanksgiving Day, and she wanted a cute video to send to the family group chat. So, I put my fingers in a peace sign over her head and giggled declaring “HAPPY THANKSGIVING – Yara has a peath sign on her head!!!”

This video has become LEGEN… wait for it….DARY ⁠01 can you tell I just finished 'How I Met Your Mother' in my family. Every year, without fail, I brace myself for the number of times I plan to hear it on Thanksgiving day – my family’s unofficial holiday greeting.

So, to officially kick off this blog: HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Yara has a peath sign on her head!

Thanksgiving is about expressing gratitude (I mean, it’s right there in the name). So, I figured I’d use this post to give thanks.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to be home in Michigan for Thanksgiving.

I’ve recently been feeling very homesick (blog coming soon to a laptop near you) so just four days at home means more to me than I can properly articulate. It’s the tiny things – finding my decorated bedroom exactly how I left it, my mom yelling at me from downstairs to help set the table, hearing the sound of my siblings laughing in the kitchen.

And one of the tiny things that I’d argue may top the list: food.

I’ve had many friends over the years confidently declare that their mom is “the best cook.” Unfortunately, they’re all wrong. Because MY mom is the best cook. To the extent that I’ve been telling her for years that she should audition for MasterChef (as an avid watcher, I’m sure she would win).

Which leads me to the painful transition to dining hall food. ⁠02 Though, I do want to highlight that the McCormick Dining Staff is truly amazing (and really all the dining halls but I'm most familiar with McCormick). They not only 1) make great food, but also 2) intentionally offer dishes from a variety of cultures to give everyone a little taste of home. I’ve tried dorm food at several other colleges, and I’d genuinely argue that ours is actually really good. I’m transparently just being a complainer - and a loyal fan of my mom’s cooking. For the first few weeks, college dining halls seem fine. You’ll even catch yourself saying “Honestly, that was pretty good!” But when it’s all you eat – every day – you slowly start to lose your sanity and begin daydreaming about literally any other food you’ve ever eaten in your life.

After a 4-hour flight delay (from a 5 AM flight to a 9 AM one), I’m finally home. Typing this from my very own bed which, at this moment, feels like the most luxurious place on Earth.

Thankful doesn’t even begin to cover it.

I’m thankful for my family.

Okay yes, I know this is pretty basic but I don’t think I could write this blog without saying it.

There are days when the Psets and exams pile up so high that I don’t find a minute to call home. And those always seem to be the worst days.

I hear stories from my mom about the ridiculous pranks her students ⁠03 for context, she's a high school math teacher pulled on her. Complaining to my dad about exams and him always confidently replying “well, you are smart so I’m sure you don’t need to be stressed and will get a 100%.” ⁠04 I won't, but I appreciate the confidence Hearing updates from my brother about his research, and then casually learning that he ran another marathon – leaving me in disbelief at how incredible he is (and in how we share the same DNA). My sister Sara for spending hours listening to all my rants and always giving the most sound advice. My other sister Yara for… wait I will do a separate paragraph for this.

My parents both immigrated from Lebanon and worked tirelessly their entire lives so that their children could have a fraction of the opportunities I do. Throughout high school, my mom woke up at the literal crack of dawn to drive me to early NHS meetings and spent weekends with me at robotics competitions. My dad somehow always knew when I’d had a rough day, showing up with a plate of fruit at my door – often spending hours cutting and de-seeding pomegranates, because he knows it’s my favorite.

I’m thankful for my sister Yara.

While homesickness has become a reality for me, one of the reasons I’ve been able to keep going is because of my sister, Yara. She is currently a student at Harvard Business School, which means she lives only about ten minutes away from MIT’s campus. Every Friday night, she calls and asks, “What are you doing tonight?” I quickly pack a pair of outfits in my backpack and make my way to her apartment. Sometimes we find a new restaurant to try; other times, we cook something together at the last minute.

I usually sleep over, and while I attempt to pay off my bajillion hours of sleep debt, she wakes up early and makes a tasty, Lebanese breakfast. We spend the rest of the day studying, talking, and doomscrolling for hours.

In a new environment where everything feels (and is) foreign, it’s nice to have someone who knows my character and humor.

I’m thankful for a lot. My friends, both old and new. The fact that I get to attend a school that, just a year ago, lived entirely in my dreams. TV shows because picture-in-picture mode is the only way I survive my 8.01 (Physics) Psets. And most of all, I’m thankful that I have this much to be thankful for in the first place.

If you’re reading this, I encourage you to think of just one thing you’re thankful for. It can be something as niche as the New York Times games (officially adding this to my list) or something very general like your health, waking up in the morning, ANYTHING. I think it’s important to pause and recognize the good, especially when the challenging parts of life tend to take up more space in our thoughts than they deserve.

Oh, and thank you if you’re still reading. It means a lot to know that someone – potentially across the world – is interested in these small fragments of my life. I’ve always loved storytelling, and writing these blogs has become a meaningful outlet for me to share the stories I’ve always wanted to tell but never had the space for before.

To everyone, Happy Thanksgiving – Yara has a peath sign on her head!