Thankful

Thankful

Thanksgiving/Host sister`s Birthday

Happy late-Thanksgiving! Although it isn`t a holiday that`s recognized in Japan, I was lucky to be able to celebrate with my host family. I whipped up a couple of fall classics: mashed potatoes, pan-roasted brussel sprouts with garlic and bacon, and applesauce. Ingredient shopping was a bit of a challenge. Despite Tokyo having excellent access to many foreign foods, there were concessions that had to be made. Fresh cranberries would be too hard to find, so applesauce was made instead (Japan has many delicious, if expensive, apples, often from the northern prefecture of Nagano). Japanese bacon has much less fat than American bacon, so I had to add some butter to the pan (interesting, considering that I think that many of the other cuts of meat sold are often quite fatty). Also, of course, turkeys aren`t available, so a turkey gravy was out of the question.

Despite the differences, everything turned out yummy, and we had a lovely dinner. It also happened to be my elder host sister, Saki`s, birthday, so we got to enjoy birthday cake and a fruit tart! My younger sister, Risa, studied abroad in Germany through LEX for a year in high school. She made us a cake that she had enjoyed there, a "mogura (mole) cake." The cake is chocolate, with ground hazelnuts incorporated into the batter. The top is cut off the cake, and once the cake is cooled, it is topped with sliced bananas, a cream filling made of mascarpone and dark chocolate chips, and finally, the previously removed cake top, which has been crumbled to resemble dirt--like a molehill. Needless to say, it was delicious! I love that we had German and American food at a Thanksgiving dinner in Japan--talk about multiculturalism!

Browsing kumade, charms made from rakes,
decorated to bring good luck and prosperity to one`s household

My favorite part of the evening was fulfilling the tradition of sharing what you are thankful for. It was wonderful to hear what my family had to say--thankful for good food, family, peace, and happiness. I admit, I totally teared up when I shared my bit. I am thankful that after these six years, I am able to stay with my host family again. They are part of my real family! I`m also incredibly thankful that I was able to fulfill my dream of coming back to Japan as an intern. I have been working hard for this moment, and it is so rewarding to have it come true.

All in all, what a positive experience! It allowed me to appreciate what I have, and gave me that extra bit of chutzpah to refocus and redefine my goals for the rest of the year.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to list some more of the things for which I am thankful. Some are mundane, some are small, but they all add up to make the life I live pretty freaking awesome.

• Public transportation that runs on time and is clean and up-to-date. Tokyo has this down to a science. While riding the 5:30 PM train from Shibuya can be an experience akin to that of a tinned sardine, it gets where it`s supposed to on the dot, and I`ve never once seen any discarded gum.
• My iPod. Seriously...commuting two hours a day is made infinitely more epic with a personal soundtrack.
• Japanese healthcare. UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE, with 70% of the expense paid by the government. It cost me about $12 to see the doctor when I had a virus, and another $5 for four kinds of medicine! Um, yes.
• Modern electronic communication. How cool is it that I can send a message with my iPhone, and it arrives halfway around the world almost immediately? I can share photos and thoughts with friends and family everywhere, so easily! While it`s important not to spend too much time on social media when on exchange (it can suck you in, make you miss opportunities, and cause homesickness if you`re not careful), it`s really rewarding for me to be able to keep in touch with folks back home. 
• Tasty food and drink everywhere. Not only do I get to eat, I get to eat well. Tokyo has an abundance of cafes, restaurants, gourmet grocery stores, bakeries, convenience stores, and vending machines. Not to mention I have an amazing cook for a host mom!
• Christmas lights. Now that Halloween is done, the Christmas illumination displays are up, at department stores, train stations...Christmas is a lot different here than in America, and I`ll certainly discuss that in an upcoming post, but the Japanese have jumped on the capitalist Christmas bandwagon, and stores are pumping out tons of holiday merchandise. Actually, I really enjoy the glitz and romance of it all--I`m a sucker for that sparkly, nostalgic atmosphere, even if it`s about commercialism more than anything. So, darn it, I`m going to enjoy the gorgeous lights, carols, and goofy displays while I can!

  

Trying on a hanbok, traditional
Korean clothing

• And finally... Good people with compassionate, warm hearts. There`s a lot of crap that has happened/is happening, both in America and abroad. Mass shootings, police brutality, war, terrorism, oppression, refugees stranded with nowhere to turn...it`s all really horrible and depressing. The thing that keeps me going is the hope and promise I feel when interacting with the kind people around me. It serves as a reminder that there are people who CARE about what happens to others, and that they are working to make the world a better place--through foreign exchange, cross-cultural communication and multilingualism, or even just simple acts of courtesy and kindness.     

There`s plenty of other things that I am thankful for, but this post is getting a little wordy, so I`ll leave it at that. I have a couple of other topics I would like to talk about soon, including food culture and winter holidays, like Christmas and New Year`s, so hopefully you`ll be seeing another update from me soon! Until then, take care, Happy Holidays, and best wishes!