by: Arshia Rampuria

As of today, November 21^st, 2024, we’re steadily heading towards Thanksgiving Break. There’s practically two days left, if you consider the rest of today and Friday. On that note, let’s take some time to reflect upon the holidays. 

We asked IA students two questions surrounding the Thanksgiving atmosphere. 

• What are you doing in or to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holidays? 

• What are you most grateful for? 
  
  Here is the perspective of Viraj Das, a 9^th grader planning to go into the IT pathway. 

Arshia: What are you doing in or to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holidays? 

Viraj: Thanksgiving Break—we don’t have any official plans, but usually what my family does is go on impromptu Disney trips. Since my mom works at Disney, we get them for free. For any kind of trip, my mom’s always like, “Do you want to go to Disney?” and I’m like, “Yeah! Let’s go!” 

Arshia: Onto the next question, what are you most grateful for this Thanksgiving Break? 

Viraj: On that subject, I’m really grateful for all the things my family has done for me. They give me food, clothes, and the necessities I use every single day of my life, but even beyond that, they give me the computer I need to pursue my passions and future career. I was listening to this song yesterday, from EPIC, the Musical. It’s called “Open Arms,” and like the name, there’s this part of the lyrics that goes, “This life is amazing, when you greet it with open arms.” I thought, yeah, that’s true. I really like the song. 

Another perspective is from Aanya Rampuria, another 9^th grader who I happen to be related to.  

Arshia: What are you doing in or to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holidays? 

Aanya: Though I do not celebrate Thanksgiving, I tend to use the break as a week for relaxing before the weeks to come. Currently, I’m working on an art project right now, and I plan to finish that at the end of the break, which I look forward to doing so. The art project is slightly related to a school project I’m currently working on, and I’ve incorporated a creative twist to it. The art project itself is a collage, with themes focusing on food insecurity. Other than that, I look forward to spending time with my family, playing a decent amount of QBReader (studying for Quiz Bowl) and other such activities that come up during the holiday. 

Arshia: Onto the next question, what are you most grateful for this Thanksgiving Break? 

Aanya: I don’t know, that’s hard. Currently, my mom is in India, and she’s going to be returning over the break from a two-week long stay. Though it might be considered a short span of time in general, I am looking forward to meeting her in person. With that also, my dad has been managing really well with my mom’s absence, and I am really grateful for the effort he has put into keeping the house running.  

Thanks to both Aanya and Viraj for their perspectives! 

Stay tuned to the IA Beacon to get more of such articles.  

Don’t forget to give someone a hand turkey. 

A harvest of blessings to you all, 

Arshia Rampuria (from the IA Beacon writers)