Sitting in Starbucks this morning drinking my first iced vanilla chai in 5 months I’m reminded not of how much I love and miss going to Starbucks, but of all the memories I have of time spent there with countless friends and family. Laughing, sharing stories and sharing life. I’m reminded of last minute runs to grab the last box of cranberry bliss bars during Christmas to split with my Dad and then late night refrigerator raids to steal a couple bites of his half once I’ve already finished mine. I’m reminded of all the times I got together with friends over cups of coffee, chai and frappucinos to catch up on all the most recent news and dare I say it, gossip. I’m reminded of meeting with a group of Vietnam vets early in the morning on my days off to listen to stories and talk about car shows and airplanes. I’m reminded of home and all of the memories and feelings of love, friendship and joy that have taken place while sitting in different Starbucks all over the US.
It’s Thanksgiving Day here in Vietnam but, for everyone living here, it’s just another day, nothing special. I can walk around and pretend like thats true for me too, because it doesn’t really feel like Thanksgiving, but still in the back of my mind I’m reminded. My family will be gathering around the dining room table thats filled with yams, colored mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, stuffing, honeyed ham, corn and more while the desserts are waiting on the counters in the kitchen. They’ll have spent the day before preparing the pie crusts, pumpkin bread and Nana’s homemade noodles while most likely watching some football game on tv. After Thanksgiving lunch my Dad will probably round up my brother and whoever else he can to help him set up his Christmas village in the living room and Josh will complain about the hundreds of boxes filled with houses that he has to carry in from the garage and up from the basement. They’ll spend the day laughing and talking and probably watching more football. They’ll be together, without me. I didn’t think it would be this hard to be away for the holidays. I thought I would be able to just ignore them or that I would acknowledge them but be so busy with whatever activities we were doing that I wouldn’t have much time to think about it. That’s not the case though. I want to be sitting around the table with my family, stuffing my face with way too many yams and enough dinner rolls to turn me into the Pillsbury dough(girl). I want to be the one to make the pumpkin bread and pecan pie, and the one to complain about all of the boxes we’re having to carry in. I want to argue about how many Christmas ornaments I have to hang on the tree this year, I would still go with 10, in case you were wondering Mom, and I want to be reading a book on the couch while everyone else cheers on whatever football team is playing. Instead of doing all of these things though, I walked around the city of Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) with my beautiful teammate, Sarah Hawkins then my Thanksgiving lunch was spent with her and my favorite Asian, John Singson, eating some delicious street food and trying rambutan, a spiky, sweet fruit (I bought a whole bag for myself they were that good).
For dinner I joined up with my squad for our Thanksgiving dinner at the local Mexican restaurant…that was probably the hardest part of my day. At that point I just wanted to be left alone, to try to Skype my family or even just read if that was possible. I didn’t want to have some kind of celebration with my squad because I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate without my family and doing the same thing I always do. I went to it anyways and when we got there we each had assigned seating where we had an “activity” in which we encouraged the person sitting to our left. Jace was the person to my right so he got to encourage me, and it hit right where I needed it, dislodging all of my frustrations and somehow setting me up to be in a better more positive mood. He wrote me this little card.
After dinner my team went to get ice cream because what else do you eat on a hot, humid night. We sat and laughed and ate our emotions with various types of ice cream and brownies then for the fun of it we tried to get into a nightclub on the 26th floor of a building a few blocks down. We almost made it too…if it hadn’t been for the fact that we weren’t wearing nice enough shoes. Our dresses and skirts were fine, but our flip flops and chacos were unacceptable. We tried telling them that they were all we had, but in the end it still wasn’t good enough. So we ended up at another building where the security allowed us to go to their “club” on the 22nd floor. It turned out to be a beautiful view of the city while we stood at the railing of the balcony listening to some kind of techno and pop music.
This Thanksgiving hasn’t been at all what I expected. In some ways that makes me sad, but in other ways, I’m glad it wasn’t as close to what we do at home. It makes me appreciate the holiday and family traditions all the more and gives me something to look forward to for next year. As for this year, I was able to spend it with my new family, my friends, the people I am living life with for 11 months. I got to make new memories, ones I never imagined I’d be making with people I never would’ve known if I weren’t here. I am thankful that I have this time and opportunity to know them and to pour into each other. Time to laugh and goof around, time to love.
At the very end of the day I finally had a chance to Skype with my parents and Josh for an hour or so. During that time we laughed, made fun of each other, talked about what we’re doing, sat jealously watching them eat my moms famous sausage balls and in the end getting to Skype with my grandparents and cousin through my mom’s phone while I skyped in on my dad’s phone. Thank you technology! I didn’t get to bed until after 3am but it was well worth it to “sit in” on my families Thanksgiving for a little while. Holidays are going to be hard, they’re not going to be a walk in the park, but no one ever said it was going to be easy…the rest of the trip is going to be worth the few days that are hard and it will just make future holidays all the more special. I love my family. I love my team. I love that I’m getting to start ministry in Vietnam in a few days. I’m thankful that God has given me this chance to be here, doing what I love and loving on people all around the world.
Things I’m thankful for:
1. My family
2. My friends, both near and far
3. My wonderful team
4. That I’m able to travel around the world doing the kind of work that I love
5. For Starbucks!
6. Ice cream
7. Legit wifi so I could skype my family (and download my favorite Christmas movie!)
8. Bear hugs
9. Sweet notes
10. Comfy beds
11. Uncontrolled laughter
