Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching. This is personally my favorite holiday for many reasons. The food is amazing. Anyone who hates on American cuisine clearly hasn't been fortunate enough to experience the impecible balance of flavors created when cranberries meet sweet potatoes meet turkey meets anything pumpkin. Wow. I love the relatively stress-free environment of the holiday. Unless you are a Black Friday Crazy (said with love), Thanksgiving is about food and family and not much more. No gifts, no formal attire. Just bring yourself! While I can't be with my family and friends from home, I can carry the spirit of TG with me. So throughout the course of this week I will be writing a post devoted to just a smattering of all the things I am thankful for and will post them on the big day.
My job:
While there are things that have been difficult adjusting to here at my school, I thank my lucky stars everyday for the fact that I HAVE a job. Not only do I have a job, I am able to live and work abroad, use a foreign language everyday, travel and meet new and exciting people. At this point in my life, this is EXACTLY what I want to be doing. If you ask me what my long-term goals are, where I would like to be in five years, things get a bit (or very) hazy. But in the here-and-now I am so happy to be experiencing the world in this way. And to be paid for it!
The internet:
For better or for worse, there are some days when I have a lot of downtime at work. Enter, the internet. I have never been so caught up on world news, investigated as many potential job opportunities/career tracks, listened to as much music from around the world in my life. I love being able to skype with friends and keep in touch via facebook and emails.
The roof over my head:
My apartment is awesome. I wish I had one counter in my closet-of-a-kitchen, but I don't and that's okay. Please come and stay with me so you can see my beautiful view, can appreciate the 1 minute walk to school and the judo kids that live in the bottom floors who tell me I am so ki-yu-to (cute). I even have a space on the floor big enough for you to sleep on! For Japan, that's pretty lucky.
Friends:
I have met some really amazing and inspiring people here in Naha. They come from all walks of life, from different socio-economic classes, professions, age categories and language backgrounds. And all of them have surprised me in wonderful ways with their open minds and hearts, with their generosity and their enthusiasm for life. They have introduced me to new hobbies and experiences, have helped me to look critically at myself and my own direction in life and have made me laugh. A lot. Sometimes Okinawa seems like more of a mental state than a place on a map, a phase that one passes in and out of, one where everyone is coming from somewhere and going somewhere else, stopping only for a few months or a few years to take a rest. And so, all of these friendships are tainted with a bit of sadness in the fact they will only exist in the presence of others for a short amount of time. Must learn from these amazing people while I can.
Friends who give me mountain bikes for free:
I was given a FREE MOUNTAIN BIKE by my friend Marius. YESSSS! It's pretty beat up from being left in the rain for, like, a year, but it's being fixed now and come this weekend I'm going to really start exploring Okinawa. My "Mama che-ri" (the word they use for my basket/no-gear bike. I don't know where it comes from. My guess: Mama chariot? haha) just doesn't cut in in hilly Okinawa, so this generous gift was greatly appreciated.
Far-Away Friends:
Since high school I have had a group of best friends who I have dubbed my "far-away friends". First were the Korean girls, next the Euro Crew. My university friends now fall under that category as well. The fact that these friendships are not maintained by the convenience of proximity makes them so special.
SIGHT/TOUCH/TASTE/SOUND/SMELL:
The other night I had dinner with my friends Ayumi, Mimi and Mimi's younger sister. Mimi's younger sister is deaf, and getting a small glimpse of what her life is like was very thought provoking. It made me conscious of the ways large and small in which sound permeates and dictates communication with others and with the surrounding world. While being without the sense of sound is not necessarily a bad thing (I'm sure people who cannot hear find great meaning in other things that people with sound miss out on), I cannot imagine it. I am grateful for all of my abilities, the five senses being among them.
MarMar/Mimi/Dids:
My family is pretty cool. They let me do as I like and then step back and do amazing things themselves. I'm not going to gush here because I would be too embarrassed to say how proud I am of each person in my family, but I think the reader gets the idea. A special shoutout to Maren who is killing it as a nursing student (not literally hahahahahahaha) and who I think has managed to become more of an adult that I have despite her college-student status. (She bought a bed last summer- I haven't been able to commit to anything bigger than a suitcase..). A funnier, cuter and more exciting adult at that!
Kirin Milk Tea, Okinawan Salt Cookies and other foods I can only eat/drink in Japan:
Self-explanatory. But really, Kirin Milk Tea is my favorite drink ever. So delicious. Fifty bucks for anyone who can find where they sell it in America.
Personal Safety:
As events in Gaza have unfolded in the last week and after hearing stories of other friends living in more crime-ridden places, I am very grateful for the simple fact that I feel safe where I live. I love that I can walk by myself, daytime or night, outside in the fresh air. I can go where I please when I please, with whomever I want or all by myself. It would be really, really difficult for me to live somewhere where this is not possible.
"What are you doing next year?" I don't know. And that's (sort of) okay:
Stressful? Yes. Scary? Yes. Liberating? Yes. I don't know what I'm doing next year. But I'm sure I'll be nostalgic for these days once I have a mortgage and a two-year-old. (shudder)
English is my FIRST language:
Trying to teach English to Japanese students is difficult. You could blame it on the Japanese "island mentality". You could blame the educational system and the approach used to teach foreign languages in Japan. But when it comes down to it, Japanese students are at a disadvantage when learning ANY foreign language. While Japanese is thought of as being a very difficult language for foreigners to learn, I believe this is a misnomer. Of course, learning a foreign language is difficult- I don't believe there are "easy" languages as learning a new way to express one's ideas is never simple. But, while many people are caught off guard by the three writing systems Japanese requires, the grammar is actually very straightforward, linear and even flexible. The pronunciation is easy and contains very few sounds that cannot be found in English. And while this is good for me, for a Japanese child it makes learning any language that is more complex even MORE difficult. Imagine having to double or even tripple your vowel and consonant sounds. Think about how weird the "th" sound is. Be conscious of the shapes your mouth makes when you say anything with a "v" or an "r". Imagine doubling your verb tenses. And English isn't even the most complex language! But even more than that, English is so widely used that it's a wonderful tool to have when traveling. It's also a wonderful way to make money. So yes, while part of me wishes I had been born in in a place where being multi-lingual is no big deal, I am happy to have my native language be such a useful and lucrative one.
JPY-USD exchange rate:
While the current exchange rate is absolutely horrendous for anyone traveling in Japan, I love it because I am paid in Yen!
Rice:
Like many Americans who first come to Japan, it took me a long time to get used to eating rice. Which sounds strange, right? I mean, it's so bland who could dislike it? The problem wasn't that I disliked it, rather that I couldn't eat as much as my Japanese counterparts. I couldn't fathom how these little tiny Japanese women ate SO much rice! Or how my Okinawan host sister Miyu could say that rice was her favorite food. Well, after a whopping total of 14 months in Japan, I can say I am officially a rice fan. Sometimes I find myself craving it MORE THAN BREAD. So weird. But so good!
The ocean:
I can literally see the ocean from my apartment. I can smell the salt water air when I walk down the street. I can bike to a swimmable beach in 30 minutes. For a land-locked Minnesota girl like myself, this is amazing. For me it has always been a near religious experience going to the beach. But now it's so accessible and is the most beautiful ocean I have ever seen with my eyes.
Sun:
Sunny days mean more to me than they ever have before. Naha is not a city suited for clouds. When it lacks direct sunlight, it has a tendancy to look sad and dingy. In the sun, the bright reds of the stone roofs contrast beautifully against the deep blue tones of the sky. It is so beautiful. Plus, it helps me get me moving so I can take the most advantage of my day.
My bed:
Ever since high school I have always listed my bed as one of my top five possessions. My bed in Okinawa is not as comfortable, but I am grateful for it all the same. My peers mostly sleep on mats on tatami (straw) floors. Which is cool- I have actually loved my floor-sleeping experiences. But I don't like the smell of the tatami mat so much, so I'm glad to not have that permeate my room.
Tuesday night outings:
When the week is long, make it more fun. Tuesdays have become my night out, and it's nice to pretend that it's the weekend, even though the week is just beginning. It is so depressing to only "gaman", to simply endure the week, waiting for the weekend. So I don't!
Freckles:
I think they are cute. Good thing too, because they have exploded over my face in the last six months.
(I'm soooo) Kjersti:
I can't even write this without laughing aloud. "Kjersti" (pronounced Sharstee) is a Norwegian name, a great name to be sure. However, in Norwegian class last spring one smart-ass freshman boy cracked a joke that has changed my life. My teacher used the name Kjersti for some grammar example, and in the middle of the briefest pause I heard a small voice coming from the corner of the room, "I'm so kjersti!" (a play on 'I'm so thirtsty'). Now, there are a lot of Norwegian words that sound funny in English. Snart (soon), for example. For some reason this bunch of mostly freshmen were pretty mature and didn't make the obvious jokes. But come April, the floodgates opened and the entire class burst out laughing. And I am still laughing today. My friends know, I can't even tell the story without pausing for entire MINUTES to laugh. I have no idea why this is so funny to me, but if I ever need to perk myself up I just think of that little squeak of a "I'm sooo kjersti", and before I know it my face hurts from laughing so much. I forgot his name, but wherever he is thank-you for what has become the funniest joke ever.
Aisatsu:
This literally means "greetings" in Japanese and is a fundamental element of Japanese daily life. Saying "good morning", "hello", and "good evening" are important ways to show you acknowledge and respect those around you. I probably say "good morning" at least fifty times per day, but it is the best pick-me-up a girl could ask for. I try to greet my students and co-workers with a smile, and really what a difference this makes in my mood. A cheerful start to the day is something to be grateful for. "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!"
Happy Thanksgiving!
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