It's Thanksgiving in America, and I am here in Hong Kong where Thanksgiving seems to be merely yet another reason for drunk expats to overflow Soho and LKF (along with other special occasions such as Friday, Saturday, and might as well throw in Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). The holidays are when I miss the US the most. I miss my friends and family, I miss the joyful gatherings, I miss the Christmas shopping, I miss the crisp chill in the air, I miss the merrymaking, and most of all, I miss the holiday spirit, which literally seems to take over everyone. It's the time of year when drivers feel inclined to generously let you in their lane in front of them, when people say hello to strangers, when everyone feels a bit more generous and a bit more thankful. I LOVE the holidays in America. It's what I look forward to all year - and it makes me so so sad that I'm in HK right now instead of with all of my peoples back in the US.
Ok, maybe I'm over-romanticizing the holiday spirit in the US just a little bit, but still. Thanksgiving in HK kinda just went by with no fanfare. I managed to find a Marie Callender's pumpkin pie at one of the international grocery stores, but other than that, it was just another day. There are a contingency of people who do celebrate Thanksgiving here, but most of our friends in HK are either Canadian, British, Korean or some sort of international mix, so we really had no one to celebrate Thanksgiving with. While usually I do love living abroad, the holidays are when I am especially reminded of what we miss out on by being so far away from our friends and family.
But enough self-pity. Let's focus on the point of the holiday - being thankful. I have so much to be thankful for this year, and I think it's important to remember to be thankful to God, baby Jesus and the universe.
I am thankful that I got to marry El Hombre in Bali with our families and closest friends - it really meant so much to us that people made the very long trip over from the US and all over the world to celebrate with us, and we felt so, so loved. It was the best day of my life. Happy, happy times.
I am thankful to be married to El Hombre - our day-to-day lives aren't that different, but everything just feels more...MORE. More secure, more weighty, in a good way. I am thankful for a husband who is thoughtful, funny, true to himself, and who let's me be me. And I'm thankful that he seems to have a permanent boyish cuteness and charm that I always find irresistible.
I am thankful for the health of my loved ones. I just found out that my dad has carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, but the prognosis is good and the doctors think that all of the cancerous cells can be removed. Thank God it was the least terminal form of cancer rather than something more serious. Especially since my dad has smoked for 35+ years of his life. I am thankful that my grandmother continues to be relatively healthy and spry for a 78-year old woman. I pray that she stays healthy and strong for at least another 20 years. I am thankful that my other grandmother continues to be a fighter - in the past 15 years, she's dealt with Parkinson's, a serious hip injury and multiple other health issues, but she's still alive and kicking at 90 years old! (this despite the fact that every time I have visited her in the past 12-13 years, she has told me that she wants God to take her to be with my grandfather in heaven, and that this will probably be the last time I see her)
I am thankful for my family, and that even though we are all spread apart, everyone is generally healthy and well.
I am thankful for dear friends, near and far. I just wish we all lived in the same city and got to see each other more often.
I am thankful for the many amazing travels I was able to go on this year - Paris, Maldives, Morocco, Seoul, Taipei, Spain, Bali, SF, LA...and we have one more trip coming up in December, our official honeymoon to Bogota and Cartagena, then a few days in beloved SF.
I am thankful for a new job that I know I am very fortunate to have - the international experience I am gaining is incredible, and while that often means I have to work wonky hours to account for time zone differences, I am thankful that I have a job that I like and that I am good at and that is fairly cushy and flexible.
I am thankful for the fortunate life that El Hombre and I have as expats in HK. We live a very comfortable life and are so lucky to have the time, money, health and opportunity to live abroad and travel quite frequently.
I am thankful for the natural beauty in this world, which reminds me how amazing God is and how beautiful the world we live in is.
I am thankful that I was born into my specific life - to educated parents who immigrated to the first world. I am thankful for everything that comes with that life - access to good education, good jobs, potable water, electricity, nice stuff, earthly comforts.
I am thankful for Apple products, which made me love technology (which I never loved before).
I am thankful for our helper/housekeeper, who truly and honestly makes our lives so much better.
I am thankful for all of this and all the little things that I am forgetting - the taste of coffee in the morning, humidity-free days in Hong Kong (only like 5 each year), delicious food, the feel of my comforter....I am thankful.
Ok, maybe I'm over-romanticizing the holiday spirit in the US just a little bit, but still. Thanksgiving in HK kinda just went by with no fanfare. I managed to find a Marie Callender's pumpkin pie at one of the international grocery stores, but other than that, it was just another day. There are a contingency of people who do celebrate Thanksgiving here, but most of our friends in HK are either Canadian, British, Korean or some sort of international mix, so we really had no one to celebrate Thanksgiving with. While usually I do love living abroad, the holidays are when I am especially reminded of what we miss out on by being so far away from our friends and family.
But enough self-pity. Let's focus on the point of the holiday - being thankful. I have so much to be thankful for this year, and I think it's important to remember to be thankful to God, baby Jesus and the universe.
I am thankful that I got to marry El Hombre in Bali with our families and closest friends - it really meant so much to us that people made the very long trip over from the US and all over the world to celebrate with us, and we felt so, so loved. It was the best day of my life. Happy, happy times.
I am thankful to be married to El Hombre - our day-to-day lives aren't that different, but everything just feels more...MORE. More secure, more weighty, in a good way. I am thankful for a husband who is thoughtful, funny, true to himself, and who let's me be me. And I'm thankful that he seems to have a permanent boyish cuteness and charm that I always find irresistible.
I am thankful for the health of my loved ones. I just found out that my dad has carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, but the prognosis is good and the doctors think that all of the cancerous cells can be removed. Thank God it was the least terminal form of cancer rather than something more serious. Especially since my dad has smoked for 35+ years of his life. I am thankful that my grandmother continues to be relatively healthy and spry for a 78-year old woman. I pray that she stays healthy and strong for at least another 20 years. I am thankful that my other grandmother continues to be a fighter - in the past 15 years, she's dealt with Parkinson's, a serious hip injury and multiple other health issues, but she's still alive and kicking at 90 years old! (this despite the fact that every time I have visited her in the past 12-13 years, she has told me that she wants God to take her to be with my grandfather in heaven, and that this will probably be the last time I see her)
I am thankful for my family, and that even though we are all spread apart, everyone is generally healthy and well.
I am thankful for dear friends, near and far. I just wish we all lived in the same city and got to see each other more often.
I am thankful for the many amazing travels I was able to go on this year - Paris, Maldives, Morocco, Seoul, Taipei, Spain, Bali, SF, LA...and we have one more trip coming up in December, our official honeymoon to Bogota and Cartagena, then a few days in beloved SF.
I am thankful for a new job that I know I am very fortunate to have - the international experience I am gaining is incredible, and while that often means I have to work wonky hours to account for time zone differences, I am thankful that I have a job that I like and that I am good at and that is fairly cushy and flexible.
I am thankful for the fortunate life that El Hombre and I have as expats in HK. We live a very comfortable life and are so lucky to have the time, money, health and opportunity to live abroad and travel quite frequently.
I am thankful for the natural beauty in this world, which reminds me how amazing God is and how beautiful the world we live in is.
I am thankful that I was born into my specific life - to educated parents who immigrated to the first world. I am thankful for everything that comes with that life - access to good education, good jobs, potable water, electricity, nice stuff, earthly comforts.
I am thankful for Apple products, which made me love technology (which I never loved before).
I am thankful for our helper/housekeeper, who truly and honestly makes our lives so much better.
I am thankful for all of this and all the little things that I am forgetting - the taste of coffee in the morning, humidity-free days in Hong Kong (only like 5 each year), delicious food, the feel of my comforter....I am thankful.
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