Thanksgiving Without the Feast

I'm some days late, but never too late to give thanks. There was no pumpkin pie for me this Thanksgiving, but it was definitely another chance to reflect.

To give thanks for the past year. To give thanks for the wonderful people in my life. To be grateful for my job, the food on my table, and the clothes on my back.

Yes, I'm thankful for all of those, and all of the other wonderful, cliche things we are thankful for. It's no coincidence that we all echo each other when giving thanks. We are truly lucky to have those things.

And then there are the blessings in disguise.

Thankful for regrets, for they might influence my decisions in the future. Thankful for the silver lining of having to push hurtful people away, because I'm able to make room for positive people. Thankful for the challenges, because they teach me that good things don't come easily. And if they do, I should be wise enough to actively preserve them.

Sometimes, we are thankful for the events we never foresaw. This year, I'm thankful to be living abroad. And grateful to be learning a new language. And thankful for meeting new people, and with that, having the chance to start with a clean slate.

But even with the new, I am still thankful for the old. Because even though I'm changing and people may not recognize me through the changes, I can say with confidence that those I've known the longest will love me unconditionally. And know me well enough to gently point me in the right direction, if need be.

I vocalize my gratitude during this commercial season of giving thanks, because just as we shouldn't limit ourselves to a single day of reflection, it's foolish to stop giving thanks, even for a single day.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Awkward Turtle

Last week, I returned a corrected assignment to a student. She had translated some Japanese sentences into English. A Japanese teacher of English (JTE) was walking with us. I complimented the student on her work, but I pointed out some sentences that I didn't understand. Then, I was in the middle of telling her that her grammar was mostly good, when the English teacher told me that she had in fact written most of the sentences. I didn't know what to say.

Awkward turtle.

And why had the teacher done most of the work? >_<

M.I.A.

I think it's time to put up a missing persons ad. After all, a certain Californian neglected her blog for the entire month of October. I would say she's been M.I.A., but missing in action does not seem like an appropriate description, I think.

Because, on the contrary, this Californian has been going back and forth between schools -- coaching students for speech contests and helping students prepare for university entrance exams -- getting involved in the community, and enduring the Halloween madness at schools. (As a cultural ambassador, I am strongly encouraged to teach about Halloween, and expected to be really excited about it. I decided to embrace it this year!) In addition to all of that, I've also been trying to study more Japanese. I started up lessons again. Currently, there's a battle dawning between my inner nerd and my gym rat tendencies. Don't feel sorry for me, though. I make the time to have a little fun here and there. ;)

So, ironic as it may be, I will apologize for being M.I.A. until someone comes up with a better acronym. I would do it, but as you've just read, I have bigger fish to fry. (As a vegetarian, can I even use that idiom?)

またね！