Thanksgiving as an Expat

I like Thanksgiving because there's a lot of food.

But, after living away from home in college and now living in Japan, I think the charm to Thanksgiving (for me, at least) is the improvised Thanksgiving feasts.

Let's face it--it's perfectly reasonable for a family of 4 living in an American home with a ton of guests coming over to get a turkey as big as your torso. They have the means to cook it and finish eating it.

But in Japan, with ovens being smaller than most American turkeys (assuming you can actually find a whole turkey), Thanksgiving is where it gets interesting--you'd think.

While the amount of food was definitely less than what I've seen at Thanksgiving dinners in the States, it was more or less the same.

That's right, it was a Thanksgiving complete with a roasted bird, corn, delicious stuffing, ham, gravy, mashed potatoes and pies. *Note how pies was plural* ;)

I should also mention that the dinner rolls actually had butter in them--literally. When you pulled the deliciously steaming bundles of carbs open, melted butter would gush out if you weren't careful.

The party was hosted at Ryan's place. It was certainly cozy and comfy, but I couldn't help but feel like a jerk for crashing in especially since Megumi was sick and asleep when I arrived. Nonetheless, she was definitely a gracious host, so thank you Ryan and Megumi!

In my belated Thanksgiving fashion, I should also mention what I am grateful for this year.

I am definitely grateful for my family and for the things they have done for me (forever and always, even if I don't say it, haha).

I'm also very grateful to be in Japan, experiencing a lifestyle very different from home, but I'm even more grateful for the people I've met since coming here. Being surrounded by such wonderful coworkers and friends and experiencing the same joys and, more importantly maybe, the mishaps (think Nikko Trip) leaves me with a lot of thanks to give.

And, of course, I'm grateful for all the delicious and beautiful things I get to see every day, but that's more or less anywhere.

See you on Christmas!