Today is one of the days of the year that I’m most filled with homesickness. It’s a day that my whole family gathers with one solitary purpose: gluttony. Today is Thanksgiving in the Northern Section of North America. The holiday today of course tends to be about eating, but it is deeply rooted in being thankful for the good fortune you have. A year ago, I wrote a post giving thanks to China for all that it has given me, today I intend to add to it.
So thank you China for…
- …economic stability. Things are not so great on the other side of the Pacific for a variety of reasons, and I am certainly thankful to have a good job, and comfortable lifestyle over here.
- …a new beginning. I’ve been very lucky this year to have a new job, in a new city. Sure it has new challenges, but also plenty of new rewards.
- …a China family. I feel like the people I’ve grown closest to around here have become more than friends to me, they are family. We are dealing with the same things together and have grown very close to one another. I was lucky to have two of my closest friends come to visit Guangzhou recently, it was great to show them my new life, and it let me see the city through fresh eyes again.
- …finally cooling off. I don’t know about your part of the PRC, but it was pretty darned hot from July to September. The weather seems to have cooled off a bit, I appreciate it, and so do the people who had to smell me.
- …having so much to see. As some of you may know, I love to travel. I foolishly thought that I had “done China” after a few months of back packing around. Now I know much better than that.
- …every single guest for Fact or Fiction. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing the monthly Fact or Fiction columns here. Ryan, Steven, Ericka, Matt, Rebekah, Josh, Fred, Katherine, Travis, and Sascha have been a pleasure to interact with, and I know that they have all helped me improve my writing. I hope that people out there have enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.
- …putting the Asian Games in Guangzhou. The city has undergone a major renovation since I arrived in July. There are new Subway lines under construction, new stadiums being built, roads being paved, and plenty more. It’s great to see such positive change in a city that has a less than stellar reputation. Also, I’m pretty darned excited to go and see some events.
- …the “Bed Intruder Song”. Alright so this has nothing to do with China, but it’s pretty awesome. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, watch both of these videos in order.
How could you not be thankful for that little bid of modern-day poetry?
- …the wet market. Last night my girlfriend and I made a vegan-Canadian-Thanksgiving with green beans, tofu, and sweet potatoes. Best of all: it was dirt cheap. Gotta love inexpensive, fresh produce!
- …for all of your excentricities. Just when I think I have some handle on this zany country, it throws me a curve. Thanks for keeping me on my toes China, I may get angry sometimes but I do appreciate it.
So what did I miss?
Northern North America?????? Wouldn’t it be much easier to use the actual name of the country? CANADA.
Haha. I was wondering if today was Thanksgiving Day in America. So much stuff to be thankful for!
No, no, no! It was Thanksgiving Day only in CANADA. The United States has its Thanksgiving Day November 25th, abd I don’t know if Mexico has a Thanksgiving celebration.
The Bed Intruder Song was awesome. Thanks for posting the Tudou/Youku versions.
My thanks to China this year (at least indirectly) all goes to being blessed with this guy
I was happy to contribute to the Fact or Fiction article. It’s a good concept, and I think it goes a long way towards helping people understand various aspects of life in China.
I liked celebrating Thanksgiving (the one south of Canada) while in China. The last two years in China we tried to have a more traditional celebration with some expat and Chinese friends. Only problem was that turkey was too expensive…fortunately, duck is a cheap and tasty alternative.
It’s a month or so later, and my wife and I visited the U.S. for their Thanksgiving in late November and had an incredible couple of days shopping. Some stores opened at 03:00 in the morning and there were line-ups of people waiting to get into the stores. Some great bargains on Black Friday, named because retailers are trying to get rid of the red ink in their accounting ledgers. Turkeys were going at 66 cents a pound, so we brought one home to Canada for Christmas dinner.