By Jack Korpob, Comcast Team, serving at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School

Being away from home to do City Year Boston is hard for many people because it means being away from loved ones for extended periods of times. For me, living in Boston and the transition to a new locale has been easier then I had expected. But, seeing everyone go home was hard because I didn’t have that option. I could not fly home to California to visit friends and family for the holidays, so I spent the Thanksgiving holidays cooking a large feast and enjoying the company with two of my teammates on the Burke Team.

Thanksgiving with Burke Teammates: Tom, Raina, and Jack

What was really great about spending Thanksgiving with two of my teammates was sharing our favorite foods we would usually have back home. I cooked the traditional fare my family usually has during Thanksgiving, including turkey and ham. My teammate Raina Hall cooked a deliciously sweet carrot soufflé and an array of side dishes, and Tom Story brought over pumpkin and banana cream pie.

After a night of incredible bonding over amazing food that took about 7 hours to prepare, we performed the usual Thanksgiving tradition that the three of us share, which was napping.

I can look back and realize that we are more than just teammates or friends, but we are true family away from our real families back home.

That is something that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving.

What are you thankful for?