Thanksgiving

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I was able to talk to three of my best friends from Connecticut on skype on Sunday! It was glorious. They were all home for Thanksgiving and a cocktail party at Erica's. It reminded me that Thanksgiving came and went, and although we had a dinner, it was seeing them and receiving an email from Enrique that made me realize I hadn't actually taken a moment to think about what I'm thankful for. So here we go:

I'm thankful for my students and their enthusiasm. This job and living situation wouldn't be nearly as much fun without their curiosity and excitement for my class and my mere presence.

I'm thankful for the kindness of the teachers at my school and the other Chinese people I've met. Mr. Wei reserved the hotel for Gabby and Chris and three other teachers helped me communicate with him. Helen, an English teacher, and her students in Class 9 collected money and bought me a Chinese mask with the red good luck weave for Thanksgiving. Erica, Betty, Pearl, Mina, and Summer are consistently helpful and friendly. And people on the street smile and take interest in why I'm here and where I'm from. The guy that owns the Taiwanese restaurant thanks us for doing our job. I've never felt so appreciated.

I'm thankful for the Western friends I've made here. It's wonderful to have people around who can relate to your troubles, misunderstandings, language issues, and cultural confusions. Being able to analyze cultural differences and compare world views with someone who understands yours is key to your comfort when living abroad. My support system here gives me strength and encouragement, ideas for teaching and traveling, and weekend fun whether it's Bar Bar or Shekou or roller blading in Bao'an. I'm also thankful for the coordinators, who always make my life in China easier.

I'm thankful for my friends at home who have done such a great job of keeping in touch. Now that we're out of college and scattered across the country, it'll be harder to keep track of what everyone's doing and where, but those of you who have made it a priority to stay close are doing a great job! Love you guys!

I'm also thankful for my wonderful family and your ability to keep me filled in on the silly details that made life with you so amusing. Miss you and love you. On a related note, I'm thankful for gmail, skype, and the internet that has made all this global communication possible. Maybe I should thank Al Gore too...I mean, he did invent the internet...right?

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