The beginning of this week seems like it was months ago, and I can honestly say it has been the most emotionally tolling week I've had since I've been in Thailand. Coming back to a town where I’m the only exchange student and spend a lot of time studying by myself is always hard after spending time with other exchange students, and on top of that, I was missing American Thanksgiving. While the holiday season started with a bang back in the U.S. on Thursday, here in Thailand, nothing changed. There wasn't any turkey or mashed potatoes or families gathered around tables bickering about stupid things while remembering all the things for which they're thankful. It was just another day.
I've never been a huge advocate for the excitement over the Thanksgiving celebration. Although I quite enjoy the pumpkin and apple pie, Thanksgiving always seemed like a kind of pointless holiday. After all, what are we really celebrating? The fact that we stole a bunch of land from the Native Americans and killed most of them with small pox? Somehow, celebrating that doesn't seem too noble to me.
It wasn't until this year that I really understood Thanksgiving. The story about the Pilgrims coming to America and being helped by the Native Americans is a falsehood that should not be taught to children. In reality, there was only one Native who truly helped them, and I believe he may have even live in England for a time. (For further reading and an education on how false our elementary education was, I suggest reading "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James W. Loewen).
But although I believe this all to be very important, it is besides the point I'm trying to make. What I'm trying to say is that Thanksgiving has nothing to do with the Pilgrims or even the stuffing, green bean casserole, and turkey that took hours of slaving away in the kitchen to make. Thanksgiving giving is about giving thanks. It's that simple. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out, but it is something that often takes a back seat to food and the inevitable and pointless bickering of large family gatherings. Sometimes I feel like the only time it takes priority is when we go around the table an everyone racks their brain to come up with a creative answer to the question "What are you thankful for?”
This year, I have so much to be thankful for. I spent the day without turkey or mashed potatoes, and instead, I really thought about how lucky and thankful I am. I am thankful for bickering families and health and happiness. Although I was separate from my family, I was happy that we could both experience this happiness and health even on different sides of the globe. I'm also so thankful for the second family I've made here: for my host parents, for Ping Pong and Far and the large, hectic family that comes with them. I'm thankful for delicious food, supportive friends, books, bug spray, being educated by teachers who were invested in their students, being able to drink water from the tap for most of my life, having the ability to run, and never having to be concerned with where my next meal came from. These things are just a few of many things that ran through my mind on Thanksgiving.
So even though Thanksgiving has passed, take some time and really think about what your thankful for. Take more than 5 minutes to appreciate all that we have and even consider the pain and suffering that has happened for us to be where we are and have what we have today. Go appreciate your family. If you're lucky enough to have them close to you, give them a hug. If not, give them a call or arrange a Skype chat. Tell the people you are thankful for that you care and appreciate them because we may not be able to thank all of the past people who enabled us to be where we are and who we are, but we can thank those we have now. With the uncertainty of the future looming over us, we'll never know how long we have to tell them, so do it now. Appreciate all you have and brainstorm ways to make the world a brighter place with more to be thankful for, and just like we do with the ups and downs of exchange, take it one day at a time.
Sam
I've never been a huge advocate for the excitement over the Thanksgiving celebration. Although I quite enjoy the pumpkin and apple pie, Thanksgiving always seemed like a kind of pointless holiday. After all, what are we really celebrating? The fact that we stole a bunch of land from the Native Americans and killed most of them with small pox? Somehow, celebrating that doesn't seem too noble to me.
It wasn't until this year that I really understood Thanksgiving. The story about the Pilgrims coming to America and being helped by the Native Americans is a falsehood that should not be taught to children. In reality, there was only one Native who truly helped them, and I believe he may have even live in England for a time. (For further reading and an education on how false our elementary education was, I suggest reading "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James W. Loewen).
But although I believe this all to be very important, it is besides the point I'm trying to make. What I'm trying to say is that Thanksgiving has nothing to do with the Pilgrims or even the stuffing, green bean casserole, and turkey that took hours of slaving away in the kitchen to make. Thanksgiving giving is about giving thanks. It's that simple. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out, but it is something that often takes a back seat to food and the inevitable and pointless bickering of large family gatherings. Sometimes I feel like the only time it takes priority is when we go around the table an everyone racks their brain to come up with a creative answer to the question "What are you thankful for?”
This year, I have so much to be thankful for. I spent the day without turkey or mashed potatoes, and instead, I really thought about how lucky and thankful I am. I am thankful for bickering families and health and happiness. Although I was separate from my family, I was happy that we could both experience this happiness and health even on different sides of the globe. I'm also so thankful for the second family I've made here: for my host parents, for Ping Pong and Far and the large, hectic family that comes with them. I'm thankful for delicious food, supportive friends, books, bug spray, being educated by teachers who were invested in their students, being able to drink water from the tap for most of my life, having the ability to run, and never having to be concerned with where my next meal came from. These things are just a few of many things that ran through my mind on Thanksgiving.
So even though Thanksgiving has passed, take some time and really think about what your thankful for. Take more than 5 minutes to appreciate all that we have and even consider the pain and suffering that has happened for us to be where we are and have what we have today. Go appreciate your family. If you're lucky enough to have them close to you, give them a hug. If not, give them a call or arrange a Skype chat. Tell the people you are thankful for that you care and appreciate them because we may not be able to thank all of the past people who enabled us to be where we are and who we are, but we can thank those we have now. With the uncertainty of the future looming over us, we'll never know how long we have to tell them, so do it now. Appreciate all you have and brainstorm ways to make the world a brighter place with more to be thankful for, and just like we do with the ups and downs of exchange, take it one day at a time.
Sam