What We’re Thankful For (Harvard Edition)

With Thanksgiving Break just around the corner and the end of the semester a block or two past that, Flyby wanted to share what this semester has made us thankful for at Harvard.

Being on Campus

In 2019, living in Cambridge would be a given for a Harvard student. But after doing more than a year of college, high school, or gap years virtually, we know that even something as simple as being here merits appreciation. We see now that there’s something so special about the spontaneity and genuineness that come with on-campus interactions, even if we can’t Zoom into 9 a.m.’s from bed anymore.

Our Community

Perhaps the best part of being on campus has been the proximity that we have to everyone. Even though communal bathrooms and bunk beds can sometimes be ~less than ideal~, we’re grateful for the friends in our dorm we can come to at 1 a.m. when we need a tea bag, someone to pset with, or just a hug. We appreciate our classmates who share in our confusion during lecture and who’ll proofread our essays an hour before the deadline. And we’re thankful for all the TFs and professors who come in every day to share their knowledge and love of learning with us, who listen to our never-ending questions during office hours, and who don’t judge us for our constant requests for extensions.

The Weather

Weather may be more of a con than a pro for Cambridge, but we are thankful that it’s been a little gentle to us this year, with November seeing more 60-degree weather days than snow days. And even if Cambridge weather is still quite unpredictable, hey, at least it lets us show off a wide range of items from our closets.

HUDS

Whether with a bowl of chili, a fresh Veritaffle, or a sundae on Sunday, HUDS does its best to fill our stomachs and warm our hearts. We’re grateful to the HUDS workers who are always ready to find an extra takeout box, help us clean up broken plates after unfortunate lunch line crashes, or even just share smiles with us. And when we’re sick, HUDS’ never-ending supply of tea is the next best thing to our moms’ TLC back home.

Handling of Covid-19

The pandemic is still very much impacting everyday life across the globe, so in the midst of all this, we’re thankful for the precautions Harvard has put in place to keep all of us safe. We’re also thankful for how proactive the community has been at following those precautions. We know testing twice a week and having to attend lectures and midterms in masks is not anyone’s ideal college experience, so we appreciate the contributions that each member of the Harvard community makes every day to keep us all safe.

That We Don’t Go to Y*le

Imagine going to a school that not only studies for Covid-19 tests but loses in the last 30 seconds of a football game. We’re grateful that’s not us. All we do is win, while all the bulldogs can do is bark.

Be it the fruit flies in Adams, needing to actually budget time to commute to classes, or relearning how to socialize after a year of isolation, this first fully on-campus semester comes with its own set of challenges. Still, we’re thankful for you and proud that you’ve made it this far.