The year of 2021 is winding down. The fall semester is coming to a close. The ups and downs have come and gone; we have rejoiced with new hope but continued to pray for those who are still suffering. As we reflect on this past week, we celebrate Thanksgiving, the holiday known for giving thanks for all the good and hopeful things in our life. After our second to final class ended, which was filled with enthusiasm for the upcoming holiday, most of us headed home to celebrate or maybe just take a moment to be a part of our families again. The reflection of thanksgiving seemed to hold three major themes: Friends, Family, and Health.
During class, we are working away on our final project, UP3. We have continued to polish and edit our final drafts of our essay regarding the interviews we all completed with a person holding an illness or previous injury. This past week, we only had one class where we talked about the upcoming holiday and gave our opinion on the cool, fall breeze flowing through campus, causing every walkway to be a leafy adventure. Reflecting to the beginning of the year, for the most part, we were all strangers. Today, we all know a version of each other and can call each other friends. The class went from name cards on our desks to being addressed on a first name basis. As class came winding down, I sat there thinking of how this class turned into the closest classroom I have ever been a part of at college and I am truly thankful for all the amazing people I’ve met from the students to our Professor. I am thankful that Professor Blom set up the classroom the way and manner he did; he required us to be a part of one another’s lives just for one hour and fifteen minutes for two days a week, and now after all this time, we have bonded into a social and vibrant classroom, even though we are an eight AM class. I am thankful for this class, the moments shared throughout it, and the friends I have made.
After class ended, everyone headed their separate ways. Some of us flew back to opposing states while others drove the quick hour trip home to see their family for the holidays. Some of us worked on our project during the journey home, while others decided to wait till Monday night to perfect their essays. The UP3 project has taught us multiple skills from interviewing people to being able to write as a narrator rather than a journalist part of a medical journal. We have learned how to write about someone’s story along with an illness or injury rather than write about the injury or illness and include the person who carries it. Many of us interviewed family members. Along with asking these important people these difficult questions, we have grown a deeper thankfulness for the family and people around us. After reviewing essays completed by classmates, I have learned how much of a struggle people carry with them daily, and I am thankful those family members are so strong and thankful we are surrounded by good people. The essays have shown how illness does not define your story, but rather something they carry along with them, never letting them be defined by it. Thanksgiving is a time to bring family together and rejoice how thankful we all are for being able to celebrate together and most importantly, make it to see one another again.
Health is the overall theme for not only these past years, but also the key interest of our class. As my family and I sat around the table rejoicing, we decided to all reflect on the past year and speak on what we are thankful for. The common word spoken was health. Rejoice for those in good health, thankfulness for those who overcame great health concerns from COVID-19 to cancer, and a moment of silence for all of those we have lost this year due to a pandemic. During English 105i entitled “Writing in Health and Medicine”, we have looked into medical sciences, social health sciences, and now, health humanities. We have reviewed issues nationally, along North Carolina, and more intimate health concerns amongst family and friends. Learning about all these forms of sciences and health has opened my eyes to new perspectives. I have also learned so many new skills from using Adobe Premiere Pro to writing, oral presentation and interview skills all learned throughout the year. Overall, I am grateful and thankful to learn about all these unique health concerns and for the overall health of our classroom. Thanksgiving has given us as a class time to be thankful for health, health for ourselves and health for those around us.
As this semester comes to a close, I am thankful for all the friends I have made, the information learned, experiences completed, and moments made. English 105i and Professor Blom have taught me important life skills in medicine and in writing, and I recommend this class highly to everyone. Being thankful is a mindset one must have throughout this class and their own lifetime. Be thankful.
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