I’m not sure what’s going on. I tired calling home to the sates to wish the family a happy Thanksgiving, but that didn’t work either. All phones are down; there is no satellite contact which is the weirdest thing. We haven’t been able to get in touch with homeland for hours now. Most of the internet is inaccessible, only certain sites still work. The TV channels stopped working too. Last thing we heard there were brutal terrorist attacks in India. The world can be a very hard place. When I tired to go through email, all the sites were down, Google, UIUC, even facebook. I’m a little worried, but I’m sure everything is fine. Today is Thanksgiving. It was strange being on a ship with such an international crowd. We celebrated Thanksgiving, but it only felt real when I was at a table with Americans. Is that wrong? The others don’t really understand the meaning of our holiday. Maybe I don’t either, but it only felt right to celebrate Thanksgiving with others from my homeland. Jana, our new shopping guide, had a great talk with me in the officer’s bar over a bottle of champagne. Shes a funny girl, very success driven. We talked about jewels, but also being thankful. Everything is taken for granted in America. I try to make a point, everyday, to be thankful. When I’m feeling worst is usually the best time to thank God for everything we are blessed with. No matter how bad the world may seem, it could be so much worse. We are all so blessed to be Americans. Thank you God, for such a wonderful world, and for blessing me each and every day.

I hope everyone is well out there and one day we shall meet again.