Today, I return to write with a more perhaps, positive outlook on life, the future ahead, as well as satisfaction with the past. To those of you who are unaware, such as my non-American friends, today is Thanksgiving. Normally, at this hour, I would be helping in order to prepare the most succulent, delicious feast one would ever taste in their life. Instead, I am currently in a café, having a café con leche, and a tortilla con atun, pimientos y pan (omelet with tuna, peppers and bread). Needless to say, I have not forgotten about my American roots and have chosen to observe this holiday regardless of where I happen to be living at the moment.
This year is the first year I have been away from such celebrated traditions and I feel I have had an epiphany. Has anyone really ever taken the time to understand the Thanksgiving holiday from a foreigner's point of view? Well, today I finally have. In order to sustain myself here, I give conversational English classes where I just talk to my "student" in English for one hour and get paid anywhere between 10-20 euros an hour. Today, I was giving a class and I told the person that today was Thanksgiving. Of course she has heard about it before, but she didn't really understand the concept of it all.
"Don't you just eat a lot?" Well, yes. But then I found myself trying to defend this ridiculous concept: "There's football on TV, and a parade, and they normally play the first Christmas movies...". Of course maybe once in a blue moon, family members go around the table and name a couple things they are "thankful" for as they savagely devour their fifth helping of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pie, bread, gravy, etc, etc. Does anyone else spot the irony here? Of course, I am not bashing the delicious spread of heart attack helper, because I, for one, love to eat and thus love this sanctioned-for-eating holiday.
However, looking from the outside in, today I will not be having immense amounts of food shoved down my throat, and instead am forced to observe the holiday for what it's worth-- giving thanks. I have realized that a lot has happened in my life, more specifically the last 5 months of it, that I am incredibly thankful for. And for that, I would just like to properly name the things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving.
THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR...
1. The opportunity to travel and live in Spain.
2. The undeniable support from my family.
3. The friends back home who check up on me, send me their love, and so forth. I love you guys!
4. Florida weather. Believe it or not, I miss the warmer, humid weather.
5. This coffee shop for putting up with me for at least two hours every day.
6. The unfortunate situations I have been in since I have been in Spain. They have helped me grow.
7. My new family, support system, soul mates, circle of friends, whatever you want to be called, that I have made while being in Spain. You guys have kept me sane, have kept me laughing and have been there for me during the most pertinent times. I don't know what I would have done without you guys.
8. Whoever created the first heater.... I'm VERY thankful for you.
9. Cats.
10. The iPhone/skype/modern technology for allowing me to keep in contact with my family and friends while abroad.
11. I know I said my family, but I would like to specifically address my Mom and Dad. I was seriously born with the greatest set of parents ever. I'm really missing you guys today.
12. The bickering, the giggling, the singing and so forth that occurs throughout the day during Thanksgiving. My day is going to be mighty quiet today.
13. Socks.
14. The snowcapped mountains in Vitoria.
15. Home.
I could probably keep writing about things that I am thankful for, but I'm sure you will read more than enough Facebook posts today addressing what everyone is thankful for. At least you can have the satisfaction of knowing that I'm not social media-ing from my iPhone with greasy turkey fingers as I'm reclining on a couch miserably.
In all seriousness, I do miss my family a lot today, and I whole-heartedly respect what this holiday is trying to accomplish in theory. In fact, my friends and I are hosting our own rendition of Thanksgiving tomorrow. It will be on a smaller scale of course. However, today, I am glad that I can for once give my thanks instead of devouring it.
XX
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