Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Thanksgiving

There are many things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday. There are the usuals like my wonderful family and friends, good health, etc. But I am also thankful that I have been able to travel and experience so many amazing things in the past year. I'm thankful for all that Australia and New Zealand have to offer, in terms of their natural beauty as well as their culture. I'm thankful for the great people I've met and the opportunities they've given me to experience aspects of Australia and New Zealand I probably couldn't have seen otherwise. I'm thankful that I got the courage to pack up and move overseas.

But before I get too cheesy, let me say what I am not thankful for right now: I am in no way thankful for the fact that Thanksgiving is not celebrated in New Zealand. I take small solace in the fact that I am enjoying fabulous spring weather at the moment, while all you Michiganders are freezing cold. But that just doesn't compensate for the severe lack of turkey in my life right now. Oh, and I am also not thankful that a "pie" here involves meat. Painfully, I have met a number of people who have never even heard of a sweet potato pie. As much as I love New Zealand, I just don't think I could ever call a Thanksgiving-less country home.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it odd how important a holiday becomes when you aren't there to celebrate. Thanksgiving and all the trimmings are so uniquely American that it just doesn't seem right somewhere else even if you try to do some of the same things. I am also always amazed at how quickly it is adopted here by immigrants from all parts of the world. You will be sorely missed at our Thanksgiving table today.
Love, Mom and Dad

Anonymous said...

aww geetha. i'll make sure to eat extra for you. happy thanksgiving girl!