Voting Experience

I am not a citizen in U. S. yet. So, I don’t have chance to vote on this time. But my friend had shared his experience to me.
 The voting is strict and serious in U. S.  So, he supposed to vote carefully. He mail in to vote and he had made a mistake on his ballot this time. Therefore, he took his ballot in to the polling place to get a new one again. He said when you surrender your mail-in ballot, the inspector supposed to write “IN PERSON” next to your name, and supposed to sign the register and then give you a fresh ballot. You give them your spoiled ballot and they write VOID or SPOILED on the ballot in red and then keep it to turn in at the end of the night.
 It is incorrect that the inspector at the polling place kept insisting that you had to vote provisionally. If you are a mail in voter who is surrendering your ballot, you do not have to vote provisionally. You only have to vote provisionally in this case if you do not have your ballot to surrender. You can not to vote twice.
When you vote provisionally, you have to fill out a detailed envelope explaining why you are voting provisionally and sign it. Your ballot is sealed in the envelope and then the registrar later verifies that you were eligible to vote and that your ballot should be counted. Although, I do not have chance but I also excited with my friend on this time his voting. This year, he voted for a black man. If I have chance to vote, I think it is a wonderful experience.

Thanksgiving…

This year, Thanksgiving was probably about the same as last year, with a few additions. I spent the holiday in Baton Rouge (just as I do every other day). The major endeavor this time was research on how to fry a turkey. With every ‘i’ dotted and every ‘t’ crossed, the turkey frying was a success–not even a small fire was sparked. My husband and I awoke Thanksgiving morning around 6:00am and went to start the turkey-frying process at my in-laws’ house. Before the turkeys were finished, we went to pick up my grandpa for 10:30am to bring him to my dad’s house in Donaldsonville. We had a great Turkey-Day feast there (for which I made my famous “Pecan Delight” pie). We left his house, stuffed bellies and all, around 2:00pm, brought my grandpa home, and headed straight home for the Thanksgiving nap. After awaking that night, it was nothing but shop-shop-shop from 11:30pm to 2:00pm the next day. I’m not sure how I made it through the “Wal-Mart experience,” but all was well and I got to pick out some nice Christmas presents (for myself, of course…).

I was glad to have a break toward the end of school so I could take a minute and get my thoughts together. Unfortunately, most of the plans I made to study and finish up projects were derailed due to the death of my uncle. I was kind of dreading coming back to school because I had to make-up a couple of things I missed on the Monday and Tuesday before. I wished I had more time to do everything that needed to be done.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year wasn’t too great for me because I was told that I would get to go home, and it ended up not happening. I was so excited at the fact that I would go back to Arkansas and see my family and friends. Then the day before I was supposed to go home, my father told me that he wouldn’t be able to come and get me, and that I would have to spend the holiday with my aunt who lives down here. He apologized and I said that it was ok and I was fine, but I really wasn’t. I walked back from the NCF building to my dorm, and I cried for a long time. I hadn’t seen my family since that August and I was really homesick. Some people say that they would be ok living away from their families, and I thought that I was that person. I didn’t realize that I would miss my family and friends from Arkansas so much. After I had my cry, I got a call from my aunt and she told me that we would be riding down to Houston for Thanksgiving. All I thought was “Great, another stupid eight-hour car ride”. I was not happy about my circumstances, but I had to endure. We got down to Houston and it was cool seeing my relatives that lived in Texas, but I still wished that I could go home to Arkansas. Overall it was an ok vacation.

I did get distracted from school a little bit probably just because I wasn’t at my dorm. I went shopping on black Friday and got a few things, and basically nothing else really distracted me except for the fact that I had to keep getting in the car to go to another relative’s house for hours. I didn’t really have too much time to study my school work, but I knew that I needed to because I had a biology lab final 8 o’clock that Monday morning. I didn’t really experience anything amazing except for the fact that even though I thought I was grown and could be away from my family, I really can’t for too long.

THANKSGIVING!!

Thanksgivin = YUMMY!! This year Thanksgiving was different.  I went home back to Atlanta, Georgia. Yes, it was good to be home and to spend time with my family and friends. However after a couple of days I was ready to come back to school. Its funny ’cause now that I’m back I’m kind of ready to go back home. For the Thanksgiving break so close to the end of school it was not really a distraction. In my down time I just knew that I had to study for my test and finals that are approaching fast. It was crazy because here I have so much independence but when I go home my mom constantly reminds me that I still have rules to follow and a curfew because she does not want me out to late. So since I don’t live my family they do treat me differently sometimes. One minute I will be an adult and the next minute I’m still my mom’s little girl. Coming back home was like tease because I was going to have to come back to school for finals. I kept thinking to myself to go ahead and get these last two weeks over with so I can go home for a month. I had so much fun over the break. The only bad thing about the break was that my mom almost “tried” to ground me because one night I came in really late in the morning.  

thanksgiving

Thanks giving was fun this year even though there were some problems that got in the way. It was different from last year because my dad was in new Orleans last year while we were in Florida. But this year was fun because we were all together. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because I think my mom makes the best turkey. I went to my cousins house for thanks giving and we had three turkeys there. My mom made one my cousin made one and my aunt made one. They were all so good. I think it was kind of a distraction from school because you want to just be done it was annoying to have to come back just to take finals I think they should have just let us have all this time off, from thanksgiving until the spring term. My family did not treat me different because I see them like every day but they were happy to see me. I was dreading coming back to school because I’m supposed to go to Australia and now I have to wait two weeks so I can finish school to go. I did have lots of fun on thanksgiving because they food was great and it was fun to be with my family. The only thing that messed up my thanksgiving a little was that I had gotten into a big fight with my cousins wife and his mother called to complain how I was the one who started it. That was the only thing that got in the way of a great thanksgiving. I ignored them and tried to have fun.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving really didn’t seem different besides the fact that I was treated like a guest. Well I keep telling my parents, “I’m a visitor, so I shouldn’t have to wash dishes, clean or cook” and I didn’t well I washed dishes while we were cooking for Thanksgiving. It was so good to be back at home. I didn’t have to wear shower shoes, use Lysol to clean everything before I use it and I also had a room to myself; I didn’t have to share with anyone else or worry about being to loud and disturbing them.

 

While I was at home on break I did noting at all that regarded homework, every time I tried to do math homework or work on my paper I always found a reason to do something else or play with my little brother. I did accomplish a couple assignments before I left, but everything I planed out to do when I got home wasn’t even thought about. Since I couldn’t concentrate on homework at home that was one reason why I wanted to come back to the school because I knew there would be no distraction from my family and friends wanting to hang out. The whole time I was at home noting amazing happened but I went out a lot to the clubs and spent a lot of time with my parents, which is rare because before I left to come to school I never was at home and never spent time with my parents. Being away from them brought us closer. I also thought I would never miss Xavier University, but deep down inside I missed the school and my friends I made here.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was so different from last year. Last year, I spent time with my best friend in New York for Thanksgiving. It was really fun, because it was my first time in New York so she took me everywhere. I loved the cold weather, the Christmas lights, and the nonstop walking people strolled down on the street of New York City. The best part was going shopping in Times Square for Black Friday. It was also my first time spent $800 just to shop. I had Thanksgiving dinner at her sister’s house and afterward the girls were singing karaoke while the guys were playing poker. I had so much fun last Thanksgiving, especially with my best friend.
Thanksgiving this year was quite different. I had to work on Thanksgiving and the dinner is not even at my house. My family had dinner at my aunt’s house, which was not bad; I got to see most of my cousins who I haven’t seen in months. After the dinner I took my little brother and sister to the movie to watch Bolt. After that, I hang out with my boyfriend for a bit, and then I went home and rest. I woke up at 6 the next morning to get ready to go to the mall for Black Friday. There wasn’t any big sales going on but I did shop for Christmas. I went shopping for my boyfriend’s Christmas presents, and I spent almost $500 on him alone. It was fun going shopping without looking at the price before buying it, but it is not going to be fun when my next bills come home. It is okay, because it is just once a year, and a time for giving!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to be with your family and to be thankul for what you have and a time to cherish evryone that is there.  Well this year thanksgiving was the same as lat year we had the same people over like we have every year. My cooked like always and I helped year. Well it was different because  we couldnt enjoy. Someone had broke in my brothers house and  stole some of his things. But We did not let that stop the show we got together as a family and prayed and was thankful that my brother and his kids was not in the house.  Well my home is here in New Orleans LA But my grandma has not moved back yet because the house is not finished so we all went Columbia MS  to celebrate. When we all got finished eating we went out to the Blue Room as a big Family and just had fun. It was alright to be out there with my grandma but I was ready to come on home to celebrate Bayou Classic weekend. I just can’t wait for my grandma to get home do it can be how it use to.  No it felt like any other time when I get out of school for Thanksgiving break I just had to get back into the mode of going to school after a long break. No my family treated me like always and plus I don’t stay on campus. I was just dreading to come back to school so that I can  hurry up and finish this semster.  It was a good thanksgiving nothing was different i was just happy to be with my family.

Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving was very fun. I was so glad to finally go home for a while. My break started off with a surgery. My boyfriend had surgery on his shoulder the day before Thanksgiving. So I was in the hospital all day, but I didn’t mind.

Thanksgiving was at my sister’s new house in Baton Rouge. Her in laws were there and my family was there. Everybody brought in a dish with them. There was so much food in the house. After one plate, I was absolutely full! That is not normal for me. Every year for Thanksgiving, my family pulls names for Christmas. I’m usually the person who organizes everything. It’s fun to be the only person knowing who pulled what name. My family always tries to get me to tell them who pulled their name, but I never tell.

The break was definitely a distraction from school. I had work to do, but I didn’t do as much as I could have done. I did a few things, but not a lot. I just couldn’t focus over the break. I immediately went into lazy mode. The week after the break, I went into full student mode. I did so many assignments. I thought I was going to lose my mind.

Overall, my break was fabulous and I was glad to be home with family. There’s nothing like going home and relaxing and being in peace. Now I’m just waiting for the Christmas break when I can really be stress free.

Thanksgiving Day

The Thanksgiving Holiday is the occasion for family to be together. This is the 4th Thanksgiving Holiday I already had in U. S. The last three times to me and my family it was not very excited because they still keep their mine in Chinese Holiday. They thought Thanksgiving holiday is only for American people. Therefore, I only have a dinner home with my parents without my friends. But now, I want to talk litter bit about the 4th Thanksgiving of my family. This Thanksgiving Day to me and my family it was little different.  This time we have a celebration for my new house. We got time to share our special dinner with turkey and lot of Chinese food. The big different is we are without any American people on this day. We had Karaoke for fun, drunk, and played cards. It was the first time I have the same feeling as I was in Chinese New Year day in U. S.

The day after Thanksgiving Holiday is a big sale day, everything is on sale and people go shop every where especially the mall. This is a big holiday for the ladies and family to save money. In my family, I was shopped with my cousins to shop at the mall in Mississippi. I did buy a lot of the things, but I feel very happy on this holiday. I think to you are all the Thanksgiving holiday is not strange, but to me it is.

I was happy to know more about this holiday and its history. Now, I’m so exciting to waiting for the next Thanksgiving.

Give Me a BREAK!

To me, Thanksgiving has always meant spending quality time and sharing priceless moments with your family, friends, and loved ones.  This year when I went home, I was expecting to have a great vacation.  My best friend Nolan was coming over and we had new family members joining us this time around.  I was extremely excited and that was actually the best Thanksgiving that I can remember.

 

I went home Monday night for Thanksgiving because my only Tuesday class was cancelled.  I was so blessed to have that extra day off; I was in dire need of it.  I honestly relaxed the entire time I was at home.  I had intentions on doing some work but my family is very stingy when it comes to spending time with me.  I brought home all of my books and never picked one of them up, ha!  Although I come home often, they treat me as if I have been gone for months.  I live about an hour away from school and my mom works about fifteen minutes away.  I always see them but they make me feel loved whenever I come home. Yay!  It is always a pleasure to be home and as we approach the end of the semester, I get lazy but my family does not make focusing on my work any easier. 

 

On Thanksgiving Day, we gathered around the table and my mother led us in prayer.  Afterwards, we all had to mention one thing we were thankful for.  I said that I was thankful for a loving family because many people will not be having a happy Thanksgiving.  I even heard one girl say that she did not want to go home because of some unfortunate things going on.  I keep those less privileged than myself in my prayers and hopefully their situation gets better.  After feasting until we were too stuffed to move, we played games and just laughed until tears rolled down our cheeks.  Great times…

 

Friday, I went shopping with my mom and sister.  We bought so many things and also grabbed a bite to eat at Chili’s.  Saturday and Sunday rolled by quickly, and then it was time to return to Xavier.  I was sad but knowing that I would be home soon again made the school days go smoothly.

 

Overall, I had a lot of fun.  I wish all vacations could be like Thanksgiving and I wish we did not need a reason for family to get together.  I love being surrounded my loved ones and everyone having a good time with each other.  I try to keep those pictures and memories as vivid as possible in my head.  The love I receive at home makes life worth living. J

Turkey Day…

Roughly three days before Thanksgiving I had gotten sick.  I was babysitting two sick three-year-olds a few days before and it turns out that there germs were a lot stronger than I had thought.  Nevertheless, I was full of meds and the majority of Thanksgiving passed in a haze.  However, I did notice that Thanksgiving this year had a considerably smaller celebration than in previous years.  Last year, my parents and I were traveling from Florida back home (to New Orleans) to meet with the family.  It seemed as though everyone had really made an effort to show their faces even if it was just ten minutes. This year, on the other hand, my parents, grandparents and I went to my aunt’s house, where the family agreed to meet this year.  We were the first to arrive and only about five more members came after, which was terrible considering the six siblings that my aunt has and her eleven nieces and nephews.  In addition, it was distressing that she had prepared such a vast amount of food and not even half of it was eaten; besides there were only so many plates that she could pack for us to bring home.

The medications that I had been prescribed to help me recover had to be taken for five days, which took the length of Thanksgiving break. Thus, I was fairly groggy for the entire break and I had lost my voice from the strain of all the coughing that I was doing. I prayed that at least my voice would improve for the return on Monday. I actually started feeling significantly better on that Sunday morning and I was looking to returning to school because there was only about two weeks left in the semester and I could not wait to breeze through them. J

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was a good one. The food was way better than last year thought this year we didn’t have a thanksgiving party at my boyfriend’s house. This year my mom actually cooked for thanksgiving an it was good. IT was the first family get together in a long time, and my boyfriend was there to enjoy the experience as well. I would say that it is better than last year, but my mother didn’t treat me any different now that I moved out. This year was different because the families of both family was together for thanksgiving.

Going back to school was a dread, I  felt that I needed a longer vacation so thank goodness for december vaction! But over the holidays I was suppose to catch up on my work, but I didn’t. Instead I just kind of chilled back and relax I think I deserved it well enough. I think 3 days for vaction for Thanksgiving is just not enough. I wished it was like highschool where we’ll get a whole week. Haha, that would be great. Now, I’m glad we’re finnally done with school so I’m just trying to get by with finals and I’m gonna feel so relieved.

I didn’t do much over the thanksgiving holiday instead of just eating and got time to watch a few movies I been wanting to see. One thing I really miss is the food, too bad thanksgiving food only last for one day. Well, overall my holidays were great.

Giving Thx in Dallas

The day for Thanksgiving

I did not go home. This is my first ever Thanksgiving away from my mom. This was the first thanks giving that I did not go to my homecoming game.  I didn’t go home because at first we couldn’t afford the ticket. I only went to Dallas because her parents were blessed enough to buy both our tickets. I went to Dallas with my roommate. It was good to away from Xavier and in a home. I felt like part of the family. They treated me like one of their own and it was appreciated. It was definitely a distraction. I just laid around and slept all day, woke up and ate then back to sleep.

My roommates’ mom got us massage appointments. That was great! We really needed some relief. The home cooked meals were so good! We weren’t really treated any differently from our expectations. We were treated like the growing adults that we are. I t was refreshing to be in the company of people who believe and worship the same God as me. We went to many places including the club.

The Dallas club experience was what I had imagined it to be. The something drastically terrible happened. I lost my state id, never to be seen again. That meant a hassle at the airport. I had to be extra searched and it was time consuming. I was sad to leave but happy at the same time. It was because I’m tired of school but I wanted to see my boo. I missed him. I  was also eager to finish up and go home to “The city of Brotherly love and Sisterly affection”.

Turkey Day

This year’s Thanksgiving was a lot different from previous years. I did not go home because I decided to stay here for Bayou Classic weekend. I have a cousin who lives in New Orleans so I was still able to get some good home cooked food. It was the same type of food I was used to at home but I still enjoyed it. I stayed over my cousin’s house for a few days and it was a nice break from being on campus mostly everyday. We stayed up and watched movies and just enjoyed each others company.

            What was really nice was having a web cam. Since my family back home and I both had a web cam we were able to see each other on Thanksgiving Day. It was a nice treat because I got to see my aunt and uncle, my cousins and my grandfather. It was almost like we were all together. Having the webcam made me feel like I was not missing out too much.

            Also a friend from high school came to New Orleans during the Thanksgiving break. I had seen her since August so it was really nice to get to hang out with her again. We went to the mall and out to eat and we caught up on old times. The break went by pretty fast but I did not dread going back because I knew I only had two more weeks until I could go home for a whole month.

 

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what you have been blessed with along with spending time with the ones you truly love and care for. This years Thanksgiving was different from last years. For instance last year I was able to go home to Atlanta Georgia and spend time with my family for a brief period. We had our traditional Thanksgiving dinner at my aunts house with all my cousins, aunts, and uncles. On the other hand this years Thanksgiving I did not get the chance to go home because I had athletic obligations to fulfill on the basketball court during that time. However, I was blessed to have some of my relatives including my mom, sister , father and a few of my aunts, uncles, and cousins come down to New Orleans and see me play. No, I did not go to my tangible home, but I was with the people I do care for. No, it was not a distraction seeing my family. It only made me more focused because I am so close to the end. I just want to make them proud and finish off the semester strong. I was not overjoyed with excitement, to come back to school ,but I know my obligations that I have to fulfill so going back to school was not anything I dreaded. Furthermore I knew that I would have only a few weeks till the Christmas Break so I am looking forward to that. Yes, I did have fun with my family. When my family came to see me they stayed at the Marriot Hotel and we were living it up by ordering room service an having fun being in each others company. I thought it was cool to see all the people who came down to New Orleans for the battle of the bands. It took us an hour and thirty minutes to get form Xavier to the hotel during that time. I really enjoyed being with my family for that brief period of time. I know some people didn’t get this opportunity to see their  family so I felt really blessed this Thanksgiving.

New Orleans

Part I:

A passage from Tom Piazza’s Why New Orleans Matters that particularly took my interest was the introduction. I know that I’m a “soft” person it was very sad. I know a lot of people say that it was very redundant and that everything there was to say about hurricane Katrina has already been said but,  reading it was different. Of course seeing all of the horrible images of the aftermath on the news was one thing and living here now and still being able to see the damage is another thing but, reading it had a different effect. It stirred up something more. It gave a different view. Some of the things he wrote about, yes i’d seen them on clips of what was going on in New Orleans at the time but, I couldn’t believe. To hear about read about the desperation, the death, was very moving. It truly hurt my heart to hear of the father naked in front of his sons. To think about how something like that will be remembered, forever ingrained in the minds of those that suffered so terribly. How will those boys see their father as a man again? How will their father be able to look them in the face and tell them to be strong when he knows that they have seen him at his weakest moment? That is sad to think about. A lot of people only talk about those who didn’t survive but, what about those who did? What kind of struggles are they still facing? What about New Orleans? The city survived but… the d amage… the recovery. Tom Piazza makes you think about these things.

Part II:

I did attend Dr. Harris’s lecture and I was very frustrated by it. My frustration really did not have anything to do with Dr. Harris himself. He was great. i even stayed afterwards to speak with him. I had good things to say. It did seem as though he was a bit repetative about some things, things we’ve been hearing forever. Other than that, he was very inspiring. He is a successful man, someone that each and everyone of us can learn something from.

I was frustrated because I had to fight to hear to what he was saying and he had to fight to say it. This was really emmbarrasing because, last time I checked, we were all adults. One of the most important lessons I can remember is “there is a time and a place for everything” and that was neithere the time nor the place. It was childish and rude. So what if you didn’t want to be there. So what if it was movie night. I didn’t want to be there either. I had to study. I was tired. Even still, I was not rude. I really can’t say how this event could have been made better simply because I’ve found that a lot of students just aren’t appreciative of these events. They simply don’t want to go. It seems as though no matter how you change the event, students will find one reason or another to not like it.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, this year, was not much different from last year. I went home for the holiday. I got home the Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving. The House smelled like someone had been cleaning and, of course, someone had. My mom was making sure everything was in tip-top shape in case we had company. Food had been prepped and marinating in the fridge. By that night, food was already on the stove. The smell of cleansers and air fresheners were replaced with the smell of the brisket that was already slow cooking in the oven. By the time I woke up the next morning, my mom was already busy in the kitchen. My sister and stepfather were doing their part too: getting out the china getting the deep fryer ready (deep fryed turkey… that was new… and SO much better). I helped too but not for long. I volunteer at the convention center serving Thanksgiving meals. Including this year, I’ve been doing it for three years now. This time was a little different because my sister wasn’t with me. My mom let me drive her car to go. After I did my shift, I got home just in time to pray as a family and eat, and man did I eat. Everyone was nice and full. We watched some football together nd then, later that night, we played a game together.

It felt really good to be  home. I think being away made me more appreciative of what I have at home, the simple things. I have a double bathroom right up the hall, I don’t have to where shower shoes or slippers, I can actually sit on a couch, rather than lay on a bed all the time, I have a full sized bed that is so comfortable and, most importantly, I have my family. I didn’t realize I would miss them so much, but I do.

Thanksgiving

My Thanksgiving was very different from any one I have experienced. I was not granted the privilage to travel home for Thanksgiving. I ended up going to a teammates’ house and celebrating the holiday with her family. I was very sad in the beginning. My mom and I both cried on the phone, which is really weird because I never excpected to miss my family that much. The times when I am so used to be with my family, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, were affected by basketball. This means that my opportunities to see my family is very limited since they live all the way in Memphis. I sometimes wish that my family lived closer or that I had decided to attend a university closer to Memphis so that I could see them on special occasions, and sometimes just because. This Thanksgiving was one of those times. I had a lot of fun with my teammate and her family. They cordially welcomed me into their home. I was happy to be there, because being with family is most important on the holidays. Even though this was not my family, my mom explained to me that this is the same way she and my dad built our extended family. The closest friends that my mother has now are those she stayed with when she could not go home to visit her immediate family. She was also a college athlete, so she was able to relate to the way I was feeling. But my Thanksgiving turned out just fine. The food was delicious and I was glad that I did not have to stay up in KD over the whole break. It is important to get away from the school environment sometimes. Nothing amazing happened… besides my mom and me crying on the phone. That actually is something amazing! Now I know how it feels to be grown… and I don’t like it a lot of the time! The holidays are never the same without family.

Week 15 Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the is the part of the year when you gather with your family and think about everything you have to be thankful for.  It suppose to be a time to celerbrate with your family.  This year thanksgiving was different because the entire family moved to different states, but no Thanksgiving is the same.  When it came to this year, I had to drive to Mississippi from new orleans.  The reason why is because I attend Xavier University of Louisiana.  I think a major distraction from school is the vairety of activities that are held.  I also think that they are useful to ease the mind of people who study all the time. When I went home, I was treated very well.  I felt welcome if not better than before.  Once you truly understand the fundamentals of Thanksgiving, then you should know that it is not the time to mistreat your family.  No matter how long I leave home, I know that I am always welcomed and the hospitality shows that.  My sister and my greets me with happiness everytime I return home.  The good part is that even the communities are happy to see me at home.  During the break, I had a lot of fun.  I had time to enjoy my mom, and went shopping with my brother.  I also walked my dog.  The only bad thing that happen was that my grandpa died the week prior to Thanksgiving.  This was kind of hard getting use to and it was the most difficult part of Thanksgiving.

 

Thanksgiving

     Thanksgiving was very relaxing this year, despite being shorter than my other previous years.   However, it was different from last year because I got some new shoes, finished a 600 paged novel, and watched T.V. while peeling some potatoes.  Even though these changes may not seem like a lot, they helped add to the fun of my Thanksgiving break.  Some other things that I did on Thanksgiving include spending time with my relatives and learning how to cook.  Also, since I do not live on campus, it was just like coming to the same old house, though I can imagine what it would have felt like if I dad come home after a long period of time.  Probably like one of the best things in the world if that were the case.  However, it was still good to be home and not have to wake up early in the morning.

     Though the break was great, I did find it distraction from school.  It was much to short, and I dreaded coming back to exams, school work, and speeches.  During my break, I took the time off to relax, and I must say that I relaxed too much.  But, I think I needed it.  It was fun to hang out with old friends and stay up late for no particular reason and eat lots of food which were all lost to me once school started back again. 

     During the break nothing particularly interesting or exciting happened, though I did see some friends that I had not seen in a while and was able to be couch potato for a couple of days.

ThAnKsGiVinG

Thanksgiving was for the most part a typical Thanksgiving for me. Every year my mom, sister, and I go to the Convention Center after attending church on Thanksgiving morning. At the Convention Center we volunteer at Marlin Gusman’s Thanksgiving Celebration to feed the elderly and homeless. We served Thanksgiving dinner and dessert, as well as passed out bags stuffed with different odds and ends and then helped clean up. Sometimes it is boring when we go because we may not do much, but when we do help out I know its not in vain when I see the smiles on people’s faces and hear their cries of laughter as they enjoy themselves and their Thanksgiving dinner that they would otherwise not receive. There is always entertainment including bands and singers such as: Irma Thomas, Aaron Neville, and other local vocalists and their bands. I also spent Thanksgiving at my cousins’ houses. I was at one house for about four hours, then my mother drove my sister and I to Donalsonville to visit with relatives there. We visited another cousin in Donaldsonville as well. But, instead of everyone being at my grandmother’s sister’s house, they were at my cousin’s new house.

I definitely enjoyed the atmosphere of being at home, even though I am from New Orleans. Unfortunately, being away from the dorms was somewhat of a distraction for me. Before I went home I had my mind set on what I wanted to accomplish as far as studying and doing papers and homework. Consequently, most of that studying did not go s I planned it to go. I did not feel well the entire time I was home. Friday after Thanksgiving I was supposed to attend the Greek Show and Battle of the Bands for the Bayou Classic with my cousin and her friends but that ended up not working out. So, instead we spent the night on Bourbon Street. It was extremely packed; everyone looked like they were walking over everyone like ants in an ant pile. Most of my family asked how I was enjoying college. And my response was, “Its fine,” only because I did not feel like having a long drawn out discussion about school. I was not ready to move back into the dorms after the break because that was a reminder that finals were getting closer. But on a brighter note, it also meant that the one month Christmas vacation was closer as well, and I am definitely excited about that!

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving in my family usually revolves around food, family fun, and watching T.V. and this year was no different for the most part. Since I am a college student now, Thanksgiving was so much more enjoyable. Even though I live in New Orleans and I wasn’t flying home or anything my family just treated me differently. Last Thanksgiving, I just went to the Thanksgiving dinner and hung out with my cousins. This year was different. My family just couldn’t believe that I was in college now. Questions were swarming me “How’s school?.. What are our grades like? Do you like it?” It made me feel loved. The food was also a huge plus! I had a home cooked meal and was loving every bit of it. I learned how to play this fun card game with my sister called Phase 10. So much fun!! I couldn’t stop playing it!! With all the fun happening, it became a distraction from my work. I was so excited to get a break off of school I had forgotten about some of the due dates that were coming up. So, I had to stop the family fun and get back to my school work. Not going to school was the easy part but coming off the break was the hard part. I had to wake up early for my 8 o’clock class and back to work I went. I had so much fun over the break! Now I’m in the process of waiting for the wonderful month off for Christmas! I’m so EXCITED!! 🙂

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is usually a time where the entire family gathers together for a big meal, but this year was different because my family and I went to Las Vegas.  I was really excited to go out of state and to go on an airplane for the first time.  It was one of the best vacations I had.  Even though all of the slot machines and card tables were making fun of me, I made the best of my time by watching the shows.  They ranged from magic shows to the traditional dancing ones with the Vegas showgirls.

It was just a different atmosphere.  I was able to walk around at night with my brother and cousin without any of the worries that one would feel- say walking around New Orleans at night.  Just to be able to walk along the Vegas strip and enjoy the nightlife was amazing.  Another thing that was different was being separate from my parents.  Once we had breakfast together, we went our separate ways until dinner.  I was able to check out several hotels, watch shows, or go shopping.

The worst part of the vacation was when it ended because all of a sudden the school work that I was supposed to have done just came flying at my face.  I realized I had two projects, a couple of essays to write, and a makeup quiz to study for.  It wasn’t the best feeling to come home to.  I was dreading the 8:00 class on Monday because that truly meant that the holiday was over and that I had to wake up early.  Besides the homework, my holiday was very enjoyable.

Thanksgiving…

This Thanksgiving was different from the others simply because I am now a college student and I had to come home on a plane instead of already being there. When I was home I was so excited. I was so glad to see my family and friends. They were happy to see me too. I can tell even though they claimed they didn’t. When I got to the airport in Houston, Texas, my cousin was the first to see me. She ran up to me and hugged me which made my mother and brothers come running over seconds later. There was so much emotion in the air my mother began to cry which isn’t unusual.

Going home was definitely a distraction. I didn’t want to do any homework. No matter how much I tried to forget about it, it still had to be done. I couldn’t ignore the due dates. I had to bite the bullet even though I was angry we had to do work over the break anyway.

My family definitely showed the love. They’ve always showed the love but because I was only in town for a week, they showed it even more. It was excellent. Even though I was glad to be home, the only reason I wanted to come back to school was to see my new boyfriend. Is that so bad? I didn’t want to come back to finish but i wanted to come back for the people. That’s sad. I was having such a good time at home. I wanted all my friends to move with me so I wouldn’t have to go to another state to see them.

Nothing particularly interesting happened while I was home but I’m sure something will happen soon. It always does.

~ Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving mean to me is a lot family and friends coming together from a long year thankful for family friends that care an always there for you. This year was different than last because last year I was home the whole time and everybody was home but this year I went off to college an mostly everybody did to and now since I am the only person that so far away from and everything couldn’t wait to see me because they hear an saw pictures of me but they wanted to see it there self how college change me and what I look like how. I did go home to Milwaukee, Wisconsin is when I got off the plane is so cold and when I look in the window I seen snow on the ground I miss that. When my mama an uncle Dewayne can an got me from the airport I felt like I was home the air was more fresh to me and I seen people I known for ever I was so happy to be home an my mama an uncle was happy to see me. It was distraction from school so near the end because going home for the holiday I never pick up a book or study because before I left New Orleans I told my self this was going be a short vacation because finale was right around the corner and I started missing my family an friends I never been this long away from them and I need to get my mind back home track because Xavier making stuff hard an mad an I know it was time to go home but now am back I feel so much better now I did a lot of crying while I was home because I lost my grandmother in 2000 and my life been crazy after that but I have to keep telling my self I can do it and she is still with me in spirit and everyday she watch me. My family would treat me the same because I don’t live with them any more but I kind of do because anytime I had came home from college I go to my mama house but I have a lot of house that I could stay at that’s just how my family are. To be honest with you I had so much fun with my family and friends in Milwaukee I truly didn’t wanted to come back to school but I known I had to because finale was here but I will be back home Saturday for Christmas break. I a lot amazing happen while I was home my friends change into better people my God sister know how to drive and I let her drive me around the city an I seen some of my high school friends that’s in college and it was really good to see them because I haven’t then since graduations an my last day in Milwaukee before I went off to college Aug 15 an also my favorite member was in town and me an him mostly see each other for Christmas but me an him went to the mall an shop and talk about school an he ask about college.

Thanksgiving

I live just outside the city, approximately twenty minutes away. I also work across the river on weekends and Mondays. For the longest I didn’t have my own means of transportation to and from work, because I stay on campus. So I spent the majority of my weekends at home this semester. When I finally got my own car Thanksgiving was right around the corner so I wasn’t to excited to go home. Thanksgiving wasn’t really a break since we have finals right when we come back to school. Despite that I didn’t to much studying over the break. Not surprisingly I’m paying for that now. I have been staying up late and pushing my body to keep up with my mind in spite of my lack of sleep. Compared to last year this Thanksgiving was different from last year. I wasn’t working last Thanksgiving so I had more time to spend with my family and friends. I also didn’t have such a heavy work load to work through last year. I find that when I do go home I’m not as productive as I am when I’m at the dorm. So the fact that I got absolutely nothing done over the break isn’t a huge surprise to me. Because we’re in the holiday season I worked extremely long hours at my job so when I went home I ate whatever I could find and went to sleep. I would wake up the next morning and repeat the process. I’m a little sad to say that I don’t enjoy going home like I did before. I miss my mother, but that’s about it. I would rather stay at the dorm any day. Christmas break is fast approaching so it looks like I won’t have much choice.

Thanksgiving

For me, this year’s Thanksgiving was the same as last year. I live at home so there is nothing new on how my parents treat me, but we are not that big on Thanksgiving after my brother left the states for school two years ago. We did not have turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, or any of those delectable foods that we SHOULD be eating on Thanksgiving Day, but I did have spaghetti and meatballs so I was not too upset. Although I’m used to having a feast before my brother left, I was perfectly fine with a quiet day sitting in front of the television screen mindlessly watching the football games. I had a lot of fun over my break, but I had to do even more work than I had fun. I had a ten page research paper due for English, I had a Biology Lab final that Monday and a World History test also, and a week packed full of quizzes and final projects due for my classes before finals. I DREADED coming back to school, but now halfway through the week I think I will be able to survive. Over the break though, I went fishing Wednesday night, which was very cold, but we caught a load of fish in a short period of time so it was a successful evening. I watched television and did my homework all Thursday and Friday evening I fell ill from food poisoning. I believe it was from the spaghetti or Wing Zone I ate for lunch, but I could always be wrong. The rest of the weekend I spent recovering and doing more homework, not leaving the house at all. In the end, I spent more time on working than I did enjoying, but in the end I will enjoy my upcoming Christmas break.

-Hai Tran

Thanksgiving 08

This thanksgiving was one of many changes for me. This year I made the transition from high school to college. For the first time in my life I had to travel to another place just to spend time with my family. I went home and got to reconnect with my family and some friends who I had not seen in a few months. There were no really memorable events that happen to me. I hung out with my lil cousins for a few during thanksgiving. They are two and three years old. Thanksgiving dinner was filled various foods. There’s was tons of food left over to enjoy. I was supposed to come back to school on friday to attend the bayou classic , but I changed my mind. I felt that spending time with my family was so much more important. I had a lot of fun with my family and it reminded me of why I miss home so much. It also reminded of the reasons why i left to go to school elsewhere. I was anxious to come back and finish up the last few weeks of school. I miss my family terribly when Im away but I know im here to better myself. This year im thankful for so much. I survived a car accident that could have ended my life. I graduated from high school and I began my journey here at xavier.  I have met some really cool people here and experienced some really awesome things. I hope that I shall continue to have many things to be thankful for.

Jasmine Grant:Thanksgiving

My thanksgiving was pretty good. I really have no complaints about it even though I did not get to spend it with my actualy family. I play basketball and we had a game on Thanksgiving day so some of us did not get a chance to go home. I spent Thanksgiving with my second family, some of my teammates and my coach and his family. My mom came down from Shreveport so that I did not have to spend my thanksgiving without at least some of my family. I was happy that my mommy came down. The only thing that I did not like about my Thanksgiving was that my this was around the same time that my daddy left to go overseas to the war in Iraq. It was the last time I would see him for a year. Im used to talking to my parents each and everyday. Him being all the way over there I will be unable to do that. That was the one thing I didn not like about my Thanksgiving. Our women’s basketball team hosted a Thanksgiving Classic. The classic included Dillard University,Langston University,Wiley College, and us, Xavier University. We played on Thanksgiving against Langston University and this was considered a big game. We had just came off the road in a tournament in Tennessee. The team that we lost to Langston beat so this was considered a big game. We practiced extremly hard because we knew we had a big game ahead of us. We won and it was a big game for us to win. Our coach was proud so that meant a lot.

This Thanksgiving-Gobble Gobble!!!

Thanksgiving this year was not like normal. By it being my first semester in college everything was chaos and hectic for me this last week. I felt more overwhelmed and force to do work where as high school I know that I could always do it later and be done. Now in college that’s a different story. I have so much to do that it’s starting to catch up with me. When I finally get one assignment done another one pop us. A lot of my family members didn’t get together like we normally do. We did have guest in town that stayed with us for the weekend though. My dad’s best friend, his wife and two children came to New Orleans from Atlanta to see how everything was going and visit some family members. They stayed by us and enjoyed themselves.  My parents knew how much work I had to do, but still encouraged me to have fun and keep our guest company like I’m supposed to. So two days of my week vacation was dedicated to going out where ever my parents took them and enjoy myself. This was actually my break of the week. We drove them to Bogalusa a small town in northern Louisiana, the French quarter to have our famous beignets, and any possible place they wanted to go. My mom and I cooked several of our normal dishes but with a healthier approach than previous years. I didn’t eat a lot of turkey and pies, because I’m not too much of a pie or turkey person. This break was really a major test for many, because school is near the end so it is a shock when this week goes by so fast. My family didn’t treat me any different because I have been staying with them this whole semester. They really were worried about me focusing on my work instead of enjoying the break that I had with them like I usually did in the past. I can say that I was kind of sad to come back to school not that I didn’t want to see everyone, it is just that I wish there was more time for me to get what I wanted to do done. That way I could’ve enjoyed my week and would have been excited about coming back to school and telling everyone how great thanksgiving was. This thanksgiving for me was surreal and like I just floated by day by day. WE ARE ALMOST DONE! YEAH! ~Krissy~

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was okay.  I got to spend time with my family and friends which was great.  No one treated me different because I see them just about everyday.  As for the break I really enjoyed it because I got to sleep in late.  But the whole time I went to work.  It was something for me to do, to earn money rather than spending it like everyone else that week.  Even though we have a lot of fun activities that week I still didnt do anything, catching up on sleep was all I needed.  And as for homework or studying I didnt do any of that either.  I thought about doing it, but I said to myself that Iam on my break and Iam going to enjoy myself.  Now, when I look back on it, I regret saying it because this week id the last week od school and all the professors are craming last minute work on us.  But thats okay Iam just ready for this semester to be over so I can look forward for the next one-but not too soon.  As for thanksgiving dinner I just watched while my mom and aunts cooked.  I didnt help because they like things a certain way, so I just continued to watch.  On Thanksgiving day I went to church, which was good, and afterward to walmart to pick up last minute things.  After that I went home, changed clothes, ate, and watched television.  A little later, I went with my cousin by her relatives, whom she never met.  It was weird but we all had a good time.  Then I went back home ate some more, and for the rest of th eday we all sat around watching t.v. and playing dominoes. And now that we returned to school, I really dreaded coming back because now its time for finals.

Thanksgiving

The true meaning of thanksgiving is coming together as family and celebrating with a feast. Personally I believe that thanksgiving brings family closer together because it’s the only holiday where the more people you have the more comforting it feels. This years thanksgiving was somewhat disappointing because I didn’t get the opportunity to have thanksgiving with my extended family. All my relative stay in Florida and I was stranded at school. I thought It would be better to come back on Christmas, being that I have a month off instead of just a few days. I made the best of my situation, I drove to Lafayette to have thanksgiving with my sister and a few other friends. To say the lease it came out to be wonderful, I did majority of the cooking because I nobody else wanted to. The food came out a lot better than I imaged. The turkey came extra juicy because I based it repeatedly. I had a blast I just enjoyed the comfort of just simply relaxing on holidays. To be completely honest I was very distracted from doing any type of work let alone school work. I knew finals where slowly approaching but I suppress my obligations and enjoyed my thanksgiving. I definitely dreaded going back to school because I had mounds of assignments due. I have to say I had a great time the food was great, I had fun watching football, and most importantly I got to sleep until my heart my content.

**ThAnKsGiViNg**

This year was the Thanksgiving I think I have ever had because it was a long awaited, much needed break from school. I had a long semester and I was ready to go home and NOT eat cafeteria food. I took the first flight out of New Orleans to Houston Monday night. When I arrived in Houston I was able to catch up with some old friends. We all hung out for a day or two until Wednesday evening when I headed to my grandmothers house in Lake Charles Louisiana for Thanksgiving.  My grandmother cooked enough food for the whole city! I tried not to eat too much but that didn’t go well at all. We went to the Black Friday sell at 4:00 a.m. in the morning as well. We bought lots of gifts on sell. We also ended up visiting my other grandmother in east Texas where we were able to bond with cousins I haven’t seen since the summer. Though I told myself I would try to study this break that didn’t go to well either. I came back to test in which I passed by the grace of God because I didn’t study well enough for it over the break. Overall I ended up having a wonderful time with my family and friends. My mom was also really happy to see me. We almost went shopping everyday! My brothers and dad gave me a hard time as usual. They always want to know what boy I’m talking to or who I’m dating so they can give them the third degree. I hadn’t seen them in so long I kind of missed that. With that being said, I can’t wait til Christmas.:-)

thanksgiving.

This Thanksgiving was different in comparison to last year because last year during my Thanksgiving break my life consisted of basketball games and basketball practice. Last year my basketball team was enrolled in a tournament at the Alario Center on the West-bank and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving we had a game. So, when my mom picked me up last year we had to rush to Wal Mart because she had not gotten anything to prepare for the Thanksgiving meal. Surprisingly enough, she found most of the things we needed and the Thanksgiving dinner went about like normal despite the last minute shopping. During this break, my old team was enrolled in the same tournament. So, on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving I went to a game to see my old team and it made me miss playing ball. I missed it so much, on Wednesday morning and the Saturday morning after Thanksgiving, I decided to attend the team’s basketball practice. That was something I really enjoyed because, I was not the only one who attended the practice. My former teammates, who attend Dillard and Southeastern, also came so it was a mini reunion.

Being home for Thanksgiving was somewhat of a distraction because I knew I had a lot of work to do but I did not do it. Instead, I caught up with old friends and when Monday came for me to return to school I was dreading it. Honestly, Thanksgiving break was a tease. It made me want to hurry up and get finals over so I can have my month long Christmas break. I had so much fun and I know that I will have even more fun for Christmas.

Thanksgiving

 

Thanksgiving was great this year.  It felt different becuase before thanksgiving I wasn’t at home.  So me seeing my family for the first time in three months just made it an even better experience.  Going home did feel good, in fact it felt great.  I missed my mom and my family and I missed home-cooked food.  Cafeteria food was making me sick, it was good to get some maccoroni and dressing.  I ate and played cards with my family and it just felt great to be home.  For me it was a big distraction even though I took my work everywhere I went.  I went to our Thanksgiving gathering thinking I could do some work after I ate but it wasn;t the case.  My little cousins were messing with me, and my baby cousin wouldn’t let me go anywhere without her, and then they started to play spades.  Even when we didn’t have a gathering my best friends wouldn’t let me stay at home, we went out just about every other night.  Plus I was trying to catch up on sleep so it was hard, especially knowing that in two weeks I would we back home.  My mind was in a complacent state, I was in the mental state where school was over and it was hard to get back in the right mind state.  Also another distraction was having my car in my possession, it was hard trying to work because at any point in time I could just go drive somewhere.  My family didn’t treat me any different than they would any other time.  The only difference was that they acted like I was gone for an eternity, and they would never see me again.  It was just alot of hugs and kisses all around, and alot of I miss you and how’s school going.  I was actually dreaded coming back for a moment because I knew finals were abroad, but I was still a little excited because I only had two weeks until school was out.  The only amazing thing that happened was I got a new phone and my cartelidge pierced.  Other than that it was an ordinary break.  But now I can’t await Christmas I am so excited.

THNKXGVNG

it was pretty fun this year. Myy mom and sister came all te way from cali to celebrate it with us over here. So it was pretty fun. Me and my cousins played taboo and our team won. Well that was no surprise. We always win. Then all of us played LIFE and that was SO MUCH FUN! i won that game as usual. And then rubbed my awesome beach house and 5 kids in their faces. I was happy. I had 5 kids! pure awesome.  Anyways, i also took my sister sight seeing in Mississippi. That was fun, she took alot of pictures, got kind of annoying after a while but it was still fun. My mo malso bought me a new pair of jeans from GUESS. That was fun. They were only 30 bucks too! so i also bought a new hoodie jacket, which was slightly more than that. Compared to last year, this year i had more fun, there were more people and more places to go see and have fun. Now i think that thanksgiving should not have come so close to the end of school year. I did not do any amount of work on thanksgiving and now have to do hte evaluation sheet for this class nad portfolio stuff for english as well. SUCKS. To top it off, i also have biology lab finals. BLEH! I live with my dad so it was fun seeing other people in the house. I also did not have to open the store in the morning so that was a relief. But i planned dto sleep in the mornings and that plan was ruined becasue my mom and sister were here so i had to get up early to take them places. But i had fun doing that so it wasnot that big of a deal until yesterday when i realized that i passed out at 5 at home only to wake up at 9 and realizing that i still have to finish my english essay. Thanksgiving was fun but the aftereffects of what happened that week were dire.

THANKSGIVING 2008

My thanksgiving was the same as usual. My family did not treat me different because I have build up the relationship of going home every two to three weeks. It is always good to go home regardless of the situation. The only unique part of my holiday was my best friend/boyfriend’s family was not in town, which means he was almost staying at my house. Like every year, my aunt cooked all day and did not let us eat until she was done. I went to the movies and to my boyfriend’s grandmother’s house. By the time I got home, which was 12:10, she finally got done. We really had a day after Thanksgiving. I came back to New Orleans on Friday. I dread coming back mainly because I am drained from school in general.

When I came back in Friday night, I was not along. My friend, Josalynn, my boyfriend, and another person all came to enjoy the festivities of Bayou Classic. Things got dreadful because the other person kept pouting and complaining. We all hung out on Bourbon, ate at restaurants, and shop at malls and other outlets. By Sunday morning, I was ready for my boyfriend and his friend to go. His friend pissed me off on so many levels that I am amazed I did not go off on the boy. Now that the weekend is over, I have to focus on finals, but I am having a problem with focusing! I am just ready to go home.

The Worst Holiday Ever!!!!

Well Thanksgiving this year was definitely different. I can honestly and whole heartily say that this Thanksgiving was officially the worst Thanksgiving I have ever experienced! It started off all wrong for me. First of all, I didn’t know how I was going to get home, because my mom didn’t want to spend all that money to come and get me and then have to bring me right back for only two weeks then have to do it all over again. So I guess that showed me how much my family really cares about me. But I did find a way home. I was SUPPOSE to catch a ride with a friend of a friend, but OF COURSE that didn’t work out, cause if it did I wouldn’t be complaining this much. My roommate had arranged for me to ride home with one of her friends. She gave them my number so they could call me when they were ready to go. So there I was, waiting on them to call me, the day before Thanksgiving. All my friends had already left so I was all alone. I think you know where this is going, to bad I didn’t. They never called me to tell me when they were leaving. They just up and left, and the worst part about that was, they had to pass right by my dorm! So I was stuck on campus for Thanksgiving. This was the VERY first holiday I have spent away from my family, and I had to spend it all ALONE! I was so upset. My family were calling me every five minute to tell me what was going on, so I started crying. But that’s not even the icing on the cake. To top it all off, I got sick so I was coughing and sneezing all over the place. Next time I know to save up my own money so I can get home without having to  depend on other people for help!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving sucked this year!  It was the worst one i have ever had.  First of all, I did not go home.  I was here.  I wound up going by my mother’s friends house who happens to be a pastor.  So in the morning I had to wake up at 6:30 in the morning to be ready by 7:30 to go to church for 8:00.  I truly hate waking up early.  Then i went by their house with their family to eat.  i was treated like I was five years old the entire day.  For some reason the preacher’s wife did not want me to do anything for myself.  A good thing about it was that my friend came with me.  So we were bored together.  Misery loves company you know. :-).  Another good thing was that it distracted me from school.  Iwas happy not be in the dorm for the day.  I did get to play a Wii as well.  That was really fun.  It distracted me from my boredom.  The food that they had at their  house was finger licking good though.  Even though I did not want to be there at their house I completely dreaded coming back to school because i knew once I got here i would have to get back to my school work.  All in all I was thankful I had somewhere to go that day.  Also I was thankful for my mother’s friends for letting me come and barge in on their thanksgiving.  I was just thankful to be alive.  There is nothing more that I can ask for then that.