By Cailey Dinga
Many celebrations and traditions have been overlooked due to the global pandemic, but many students at Amarillo College made time to celebrate Thanksgiving recently. Anna Sanchez, a business major, said she has a lot to be grateful for this year Sanchez, who works at the Amarillo Country Club, said, “I’m very thankful for all the friends I’ve made at my new job,” Sanchez said.
“Typically, the Amarillo Club serves a Thanksgiving meal,” said Sanchez. “In 2019, they had over 700 people attend their Thanksgiving event, while this year only 85 people attended,” she said. They served the meal buffet-style because COVID had left the club short-staffed.
Although COVID has impacted Sanchez’s job, she still has found ways to be thankful this year. “I am blessed to be alive and to help others when I can,” Sanchez said. Ericka Rodriguez, a horticulture major, did not celebrate in the traditional way this Thanksgiving. Her mom made a traditional Mexican meal, but her family did not gather at the table to eat together. “We didn’t treat it as Thanksgiving, we acted like it was another Thursday night,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez’s mom was in her last days of quarantine during Thanksgiving so they didn’t have family or relatives over. Rodriguez said she was invited to a friend’s Thanksgiving meal, but declined because she was trying to avoid a large gatherings.
This year Rodriguez said she is thankful for the people in her life because, although things have been affected by the pandemic, they are all still together. “Despite the pandemic, we still laugh, smile, and feel joy and happiness,” she said.
Diego Lopez, a theatre major, said he still chose to celebrate this year considering it is one of the only times his family gets together. Although Lopez originally had plans to visit family in another state, he canceled the trip due to COVID and still made the most of the holiday. “This is one of the only times my family gets together and any holiday tradition means a lot to me,” Lopez said. “I’m thankful for everything I have, everything the lord has given me.”
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