The List of Thanksgiving

I have a friend who always does a list of what she is thankful at Thanksgiving. And while I know I will never be able to list EVERYTHING, it does seem like a nice way to tie this foreign holiday to something more traditional. So here goes...

1. My family - I am one of those lucky kids who grew up knowing how great her family was. Then, I got married (to my perfect partner) and became a part of the single best family someone could ever hope to marry into. I'm perfectly aware that people do not often get two super sets of family, so it is pretty important that they are #1 on my list.

2. My friends - Again, super lucky. I can now legitimately say I have friends from all over the world. I have friends who can tell the most amazing stories, have had the most amazing experiences and can offer really rare insights. I have friends who invite me into their lives and allow me to try to help them with their difficulties, which to me, is really an honor. I have friends who, even if we haven't talked in quite some time, when we get together it's like we saw each other yesterday. I have friends who know what I'm thinking and/or feeling before I even tell them and can offer exactly what I need in response. I have friends who are ALWAYS there for me, despite time and distance. I have friends who I know I could turn to if I needed a kidney. They would give it to me and not think twice about it. These kinds of friends are not to be taken lightly and they bring me so much joy!

3. Thailand and the opportunity to travel - Do me a favor. Put Thailand on your list of places you MUST see some time in your lifetime. It's crazy beautiful here. The people are over the top hospitable and friendly. And while there are many difficult things about living abroad, I will always feel truly blessed for our time here.

Beyond Thailand, the world lies waiting. We have the opportunity to be here, to be there and we will be better people because of the traveling we have done.

4. To be an American and native English speaker - I think that unless you partake in an opportunity like this, you may not fully understand how lucky you are to be an American (or 'Westerner'). I did nothing to deserve to be born in a country of democracy or where I was taught to speak English. These two very fundamental parts of American life have made it possible for me to leave my country, on my own free will, and to be welcomed into a number of other countries where job prospects abound. In fact, being a native English speaker, means that I make significantly more than my Thai counterparts while be expected to do a small fraction of the work. Because I'm fluent in English, I was able to move to Thailand, get  job teaching and make a comfortable living and basically have a lifestyle similar to the one I had at home. I didn't do anything deserve such good fortune, but I'm very thankful for it.

Subsequently, I am also thankful for the millions of men and women who serve in America's military and their families. I understand that without them and the many who came before them, America would not be what it is today. The sacrifice our military personnel and their families make every day, but especially during holidays, is truly astounding, and it is not lost on me.

5. My job - I'm not sure if you understand how much I love my job. These kids are seriously the cutest kids ever, and they sort of love me. I get paid to dance, sing, play games, tickle kids, get hugs and generally laugh all day. When I talk with their parents, I'm told that when their kids play "school" at home, they are Teacher Kara and the parents have to be the students. Ha!

In addition to the great kids, my boss and the administration of the kindergarten program have essentially adopted us as part of their family. When Neils needed to make a change, they opened a new class just for him. When our boss is out and about, she'll pick us up things she thinks we might miss or enjoy. When my mom and Roger were here, my boss ensured that we saw everything there was to see in Nakhon Si Thammarat, bought us several fabulous meals and made sure that everyone had a great time. She checks in with us to make sure things at our house are fine, and when they aren't she makes sure they get fixed in a timely manner. If we need anything, she's always the first one to step up to help. This is above and beyond and we are grateful for our Thai family.

I'm not thankful for this job just for the day to day joy it brings me. I'm also thankful for this job because it has kind of shown me that I should maybe be doing some sort of work with children when I get home. When we arrived, I wasn't sure what kind of a teacher I would be. But it seems that I'm not terrible at it and I obviously really enjoy these kids. When I get home, I'm going to look into some new career paths, because I think that working with kids is a type of unconditional love that cannot be substituted. I credit this job for giving me that kind of insight.

6. Our flexibility - Lastly, I'm thankful for Neils and my ability to be flexible with our life plans. We found out that we will likely not be able to apply for adoption in January as we had originally planned. It sounds as though the Thai adoption program will be closed to new applicants for another two years. As you can imagine, we were incredibly disappointed by this revelation. The good news is, it has forced us to consider a number of other options that are available to us in the next few years. We have decided that we will likely not be staying another year in Thailand, if we aren't waiting for the adoption process. We haven't decided for sure what our next move will be, but I am thankful for all the opportunities that await us.

I hope you are well.