What I'm Thankful For This Year

This is a couple pf days late, but it's never too late to be grateful for the talents we have, the opportunities we've been given, and the people who support us.

Some of the things I'm thankful for right now:

• My dad's health.  He's had a debilitating chronic cough for over a year and just recently started to get better. 
• My fellow students at St. Hilda's College. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to adjust to living at Oxford with.  What an amazing group.  My experience here would be totally different without them. 
• Good cheese.  It's quite nice to have such affordable, delicious cheese options. 
• Rowing!  How challenging and rewarding at the same time.  Lots of exercise, shared experience, supportive captains, and the experience of being on a calm river at sunrise. I now have so much respect for rowers. 
• The amazing scenery of Oxford.  I've never ceased to be wowed by the grandeur of the old gothic buildings, and I get to bike past them every day.
• I'm thankful for the little spoken differences between the U.S. and the U.K. They're always a true delight to discover. Rubbish, press-ups, keen, pre-lash, fancy, so many more.... Cheers, U.K. 
• Skype.  Without it I'd feel so lost.  
• London. I went for the first time yesterday and felt completely rejuvenated.  So much life, so much culture, so close by.  Good for the soul.
• My faithful bike.  Despite being really old, transported on a plane, dropped a couple of times, and having hardly any breaks and several gears broken, it still keeps on going, and gets me all over every day.  I ride at least 5 miles a day these days across town. 
• My own health.  I've been able to play four different sports all term.  Nothing makes me more able to study than being able to run around for a break. 
• I'm thankful that I found a muffin tin to buy, because nothing de-stresses me like baking muffins. 
• Dryers! You don't know what you got til it's gone...
• Ultimate Frisbee, which gives me an automatic community of cool people no matter where I go, and gave me the opportunity to play in Nationals next weekend which is ridiculously cool.
• I'm thankful for my amazing, caring support system at home.  You know who you are. 
• The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I've been given to study at Oxford.  I need to do a better job of not taking it for granted and using this opportunity for good.
• Beautiful fall weather that we've had since I got here.  

And so many other things.  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone around the world.  

Lisa