Welcome back, railroad track! I hope you all had a restful, guestful, turkey−breastful Thanksgiving. Whether you went home, stayed on campus or told your parents you were staying on campus only to tear it up at Billy's suburban Massachusetts crib, at least you got a break from the world of academia. Except for Saturday morning when you still had to complete MasteringBiology. What's that all about?
I live a hop, skip and T ride away from Tufts, so I had the opportunity to go home for Thanksgiving. Sleeping in my own bed and sneezing from my own dog (hypoallergenic, my derriere) got me thinking about all the things I am thankful for.
Food. I'm less than a semester into college, so I'm still relatively smitten with Dewick. I know, I know; I'll be sick of it by the time finals roll around. For now I'm a happy camper eating my butternut squash everything. That being said, it's a treat to go home and eat some of my mom's freshly baked challah.
Ask me why my friends would ever want to come over to my house. I'll give you a hint: It's my mom's challah. No one goes for want of food in the Polasky−Furgang household. My mom has never been one to withhold food, but she also makes a point of reminding me how lucky I am. I'm thankful that all my life, hunger was a good feeling because it meant I was close to mealtime. Most people can't say that.
Transportation. I happen to live close enough to Tufts where a covered wagon would probably get me home in a couple of hours. That doesn't mean I'm not grateful for the amazing advances that have been made in transportation. We freshmen might complain about not having cars, but in truth we don't even need them. We have the T and the Joey and even a shuttle that takes us to Logan airport during travel season. We have carpools for going to the Loj and cheap buses that can take us to New York City. We have a free bike−share program, for crying out loud. I think of my ancestors for whom leaving home meant never going back again. I can romanticize horse travel all I want, but in the end it comes down to the fact that cars are fast and don't poop.
Communication. Screw all that "speed of light" junk; time travel is real. How else would we be able to videochat? That stuff is straight from the future. I started a tradition of Skyping my dad on Sundays to tackle the crossword together. It's incredible to me that he can be almost 10 miles away, yet it feels like we're in the same room. And pixelation does wonders for your complexion.
And, of course, there's family. My parents are the ones who sent me to Tufts in the first place, so I suppose I owe it to them to be appreciative when I see them. They are kind enough to take in a college friend at the last moment because he couldn't make it home for Thanksgiving. They know how to pamper without coddling. They definitely got something right when they raised my genius brother. He has mastered the art of changing my Facebook status unbeknownst to me, such that it is not entirely clear to an observer whether or not I was hacked. Such promise in that little boy.
Those are my big four this year. Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to get in some last snuggles with my goldendoodle before I head back to campus. Don't worry, I took my allergy meds.
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Hannah Furgang is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at Hannah.Furgang@tufts.edu
