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JISHOU, HUNAN — Thanksgiving Day has already ended over here. ‘Round about this time, you folks in the US of A will be preparing the turkey, or driving someplace where someone else is preparing the turkey. Eat well, and drive carefully, please.
Today was the first time I have celebrated Thanksgiving without my family since I was 22 and living in Wyoming. Then, as now, I had friends who were substitute family, so I was not forlorn. In fact, I had a pretty good day today.
I can’t say whether it’s common in China, but the College of International Exchange seems to have adopted Thanksgiving in a uniquely Chinese way. Outside our fourth-floor wing of classrooms was a large poster made up of sticky-notes in the shape of a heart. Each note carried a message from a student to his or her parents, thanking them for sending them to university, or to their friends, giving their best wishes for the day.
Several students also sent me emails and text messages wishing me a “Happy Thanks Giving.” After morning classes, one group of freshmen treated me and David, the other foreign teacher (who’s from the UK, but it’s cool), to lunch off campus. Afterward, one group went with David to the bank, and the rest accompanied me to my apartment.
They wanted to see their teacher’s inner sanctum, so I showed them my almost-tidy flat. Students seem to have an intense curiosity about how we foreign teachers live. They are fascinated when I tell them I cook for myself most days, since I gather only women are expected to cook. They are relieved when I tell them my flat has a heatpump, since their dormitories are neither heated in winter nor cooled in summer.
I let them take pictures, but declared the kitchen — with its sink full of dishes — off limits to paparazzi.
They helped me order a new jug of water for the water dispenser, and arranged with the delivery fellow to respond to my English requests for refills. I have not yet mastered enough intelligible Chinese to make myself understood otherwise. Then, this group offered to make and cook dumplings (known as potstickers in the States) for me on Saturday morning for lunch. Another set of students are cooking dinner for me later that day. So, Saturday will be my day of overeating and indolence, instead of today.
After dinner on my own, I headed over to the campus radio station where I talked for a half-hour about Thanksgiving and the holiday’s customs, and what I personally was thankful for. (See below.)
Tomorrow, a friend is coming over for a visit, and there’s a concert over at the music school. Students, including my English-Corner/radio-host friend Shelldy, will play Chinese and western music. Shelldy (庞肖狄 Pang XiaoDi is her real name) plays the guzheng, a Chinese zither, and piano. Since I have never seen or heard a guzheng up close, I am excited about this experience.
On Sunday, I will accompany some students from the old campus on a hike up a local mountain.
So, nope, I’m not forlorn. I’ve got many friends here who have made this Thanksgiving weekend pretty memorable.
Now for the thankfulness part. I am thankful for many things, including:
- I am alive (you think about this when you hit your 50s — some of my peers aren’t).
- I am healthy (ditto).
- I can do the things I enjoy doing.
- Circumstances permitted me to come to China.
- I had the support of my family to do it.
- I have a wonderful family, and great kids.
- I have food, shelter and a job I enjoy.
- I have friends here who are simply wonderful, generous and loving people.
- Obama got elected.
What else could anyone want? Seriously.