As most of you are aware, this week in the USA almost everyone will be celebrating Thanksgiving. While it’s not my favorite of holidays due to it’s actual historical origin (hint: there’s lots of racism and murder), I do love being able to eat good food with friends or family and to think of some of the good fortunes the past day, week, month, or year have brought.
I’m thankful to Rollins for giving me the opportunity to come back to Japan, first of all, and I’m thankful to my Roommate (who I will refer to as S) for being the best roommate I could have ever asked for, and I’m thankful to my family for supporting me in being able to come here. And, of course, I’m thankful for the Rubiks cube and bag of candy sent by my boyfriend on a whim. The list could go on of the things and people and circumstances I have to be thankful for. This month, however, I want to focus on the memories I’ve made.
Together with S and 4 other girls, we walked through Kyoto, ate Matcha Fondue (please try it, don’t even second guess yourself– it’s beyond delicious) before going to a cat cafe, where I proceeded to be covered, head to toe, in cats. That experience alone could take up this whole post, and I remember having so much fun even as I was wondering why on earth I chose to wear black that day.
I’m thankful for my friend Chris, who accompanied on my trip back to visit my old friends and host families in Tottori Prefecture. It was an amazing experience and I can’t begin to express how wonderful it was to see everyone again. We drove through the rain, visited shrines tucked away in the mountaintops, found old lighthouses, visited fishing villages, played with stray cats, ate good food, had good conversation, and even caught the tail-end of a sixth-grade play. Being back home never felt better.
I’m thankful for those host families who were so eager to see me again, who kindly opened their doors to myself and another foreigner (who they had never met), and for treating my like their own daughter even after all the distance and time. I’m thankful for my host-mother, who taught me how to make Miso soup the “cheater’s” way, and for my host-dad who refuses to forget our jokes or stop caring even when he’s frustrated.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone 🙂