| international thanksgiving 11.28.02 |
| I read a great column in regards to Thanksgiving...this was my response... Dear [writer], A friend forwarded me your article. I was surprised that it was published in SF, being the liberal, anti-God city that it is...but I am so thankful that it was and I want to forward it to some friends as well. This Thanksgiving, I am in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where I have been since July 2. I was unable to commemorate July 4 and now will be unable to celebrate Thanksgiving [with family]--two of the biggest holidays unique to the U.S. But I didn't really miss it...when July 4th rolled around, I was too busy adjusting to being here in Brazil. Now that Thanksgiving is coming around, I am busy trying to enjoy my last weeks here in Brazil...and because Brazilians don't celebrate the holiday, I don't miss it. I will miss being with my family, yet I will see them all for Christmas. In the last five months here in Brazil, I have been asked many times about the States...what is it like? What is the biggest difference? Do you miss it? Oddly enough, I don't have many good things to say about it. The people are cold and unfriendly to foreigners, the food here in Brazil is much better, family ties are much stronger here, there is so much to see in Brazil, from the rainforests of the Amazon and the beaches of the northeast region to the big city of Sao Paulo. To me, the States only has the pleasures of the West Coast and the East Coast...everything else in between is pretty boring to me. But even what the coasts have to offer is not as diverse as what Brazil has to offer. I think about how people treat residents and tourists who don't speak English...and compare that to how well Brazilians treat visitors who are unfamiliar with the language. But after reading your article, I am reminded that there is also a lot to be thankful for in the States...things that the Brazilians see and wish that they had. They also have freedom, but their freedom is different from ours. We may have a strange government and Brazil also makes fun of the election miscount and Bill Clinton but when we compare our government to theirs, we have a lot more to be thankful for. We don't have to worry about our bank accounts being frozen. We don't have the same difficulties to get into a great university (or even a high school for that matter). Just hearing about their stresses of education makes me feel so fortunate. Then there are the favelas--the slums--that dominate large blocks of neighborhoods...and these are not just in big cities...they are all over Brazil. What they consider to be middle class would be like our lower class bracket. While American kids whine about not having the newest video game, Brazilian kids the same age are waking up at 6 a.m. to go to work for half the day and then running off to school from 6-11 p.m. Brazilians either attend school for a few hours in the morning or in the evening because it's a given that they will have to work AND attend school simultaneously because how else could they afford it? I know there are Americans who do the same, but I personally, did not have to. Do I live like I know how fortunate I am? On the personal level, I have so much to be thankful for and I haven't ceased expressing that to God. This year, especially has been one of change as I left the Bay Area after five years of living there, spent three months living with my parents in Sacramento, and then came to Brazil in July. All those transitions have been growing experiences for me and God has taught me so much. This year has been one of many, many thanksgivings. Anyway, enough ramblings from me...thanks again for the article and encouraging words. I pray that they may touch many more lives...and I'm sure they will! |
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