This is part four of a travel column that will be updated by Simmons students studying abroad. Josie Dent, the Arts and Entertainment Editor of the Voice, is studying abroad in Galway, Ireland, for the full 2024-25 academic year. Please check back for further updates in this column from study abroad students.
Well, as this will be only the fourth study abroad column I published, it should have been done weeks ago.
I’ve never been good with deadlines.
Since my last post, my life in Galway has gone through changes. I came to terms with the fact that I wouldn’t be coming home for Christmas, then un-came from those same terms, asked my girlfriend to be my girlfriend, and found out my grandma was dying.
When I left for the year, I knew I wouldn’t return to the States until May. Initially, I was thrilled to spend my winter break traveling across Europe. In October, I spontaneously bought tickets for a trip to Amsterdam, planning to spend ten days in mainland Europe.
Thanksgiving isn’t my favorite holiday. Growing up, I loved visiting my great-aunt’s house to celebrate and seeing my cousins. It felt like how Thanksgiving was supposed to be. But traditions change, and eventually, Thanksgiving became a painstaking, awkward hour counting down the minutes until my grandparents left.
It was the Friday after Thanksgiving I looked forward to: Friendsgiving. My family would load up the car with fresh dishes (and some leftovers) and drive out to the country to celebrate with our family friends. We lovingly call ourselves the “Spectrum Family” as we came together since each family has one kid on the autism spectrum.
Since the 6th grade, the Spectrum Family has spent camping trips, Fourth of Julys, and New Year’s Eve together, but one of my favorites is Friendsgiving. After the undue stress of Thanksgiving, it always feels so wonderful to just be in the company of my “other” families.
As the semester in Galway started winding down, more and more stress piled up. A Friendsgiving was exactly what I wanted.
I texted all my friends to come to my apartment the Friday after Thanksgiving, telling them to bring anyone they wanted (as long as everyone brought a dish) and to please, please, please not forget the drinks.
On Thanksgiving proper, I was in my kitchen with my friend Morgan and my girlfriend (remember that French girl?). Much like a proper Thanksgiving, I had a near-meltdown over the mashed potatoes, which Morgan promptly fixed.
Friendsgiving finally rolled around.
My goodness, how lucky I feel to have everyone in my life. We spent hours crammed in that small kitchen/living room combo, listening to the Friendsgiving playlist I had curated, drinking endless drinks, and eating more than our fair share.
I had been poring over flight listings to Eugene when I found out my grandma was dying, hopelessly scrolling to see if I could make the prices work. Even if it meant swallowing the cost of the flights to Amsterdam I had already bought, or my bus and hostel tickets.
I wasn’t looking forward to holidays away from home, even though Jakob had invited me to stay with him and his family in Germany.
Friendsgiving here, though, helped me re-evaluate the pessimism I was approaching the season with. It didn’t make me stop missing the Spectrum family tradition, of course. It was me making the tradition my own. What could be better than a room full of good food and people I love?
Holidays can be hard. I’m sure I’ll spend some of the upcoming ones crying. I’m okay with that, though, because I have much to look forward to.
Until then, I’ll leave you to it.
