Thanksgiving Edition

Yes, this post does totally conflict with the timeline.  But, I have frankly had a rough week, and it seems like a good time to talk about being thankful.

So ... let's tone down the snark for a minute and give some thanks, cool?

Preface:

To be perfectly honest, I am not the most patriotic of people.  I was raised in a household where I was taught many of the darker moments in our country's history ... at a very young age.  (picture a 4th grade version of Reese reminding her teacher that the blankets the US gave the Indians were poisoned with Small Pox)   So, yeah, criticism and dissent was not uncommon.

And really, I think we can all agree that our current government is pretty freaking defective.  Politicians spend obscene amounts of money to get the job, and then when there is actually a job to do -- they give up!  But, I'm supposed to be positive, so ...

Here's the deal, guys: being in China has made me so thankful to be American.
 The Chinese citizens who are brave enough to criticize their leaders or government do so in hushed tones, and never without nervous glances to see who may be within earshot.  This is a country where the boss is never wrong and individualism is far from valued.  Students are taught not to have opinions; it is better, rather, to try to please both sides and appeal to the authority figure's wisdom.  The country is ruled by tests, statistics, and the pursuit of wealth -- sometimes, (in my opinion) at a very great cost.

My school recently had a mandatory speech contest among the teachers.  I could not participate because I was teaching (... darn), but many of the speeches were disturbing to Western ears.  Tales of choosing dedication to the job over being with one's dying mother.  Or of a spouse with a terminal illness, but the job is the priority.  At the end of the competition, an administer lauded these accounts of sacrifice and said that it made him/her happy.  This is what is expected of Chinese employees: the good of the group, the good of the industry, take precedence over all.

One of my Chinese co-workers recently received a 1 year multiple entry work visa to America, because he is chaperoning a student trip to the East Coast.  It was a dream come true for him, literally.  Do you know why the "multiple entry" part made him so happy?  If he gets seriously ill this year, he can go to an American doctor.  "That's great.  I am very lucky."

So:

• I am thankful to be from a country where I can voice my dissent without fear.
• I am thankful to be from a country where it is the accessibility of quality health care and not the existence of it that is the issue.
• I am thankful to be from a country where work-life balance is valued and the term "workaholic" is not a compliment.
• I am thankful to be from a country where I have free access to the internet, and can share my views and read the opinions of others without recrimination.
• I am thankful to be from a country where I was encouraged to "be my own person" and have my own opinions.

Listen, the United States is far from perfect.  Our facebook newsfeeds are filled with "Occupy" updates and outrages, our press is filled with economic doom and gloom, and political debates often make us question the education of these "leaders."  But, we are allowed to have facebook.  The news is allowed to be negative (well, at least on Comedy Central).  We are allowed to protest and can pursue legal action if those rights are infringed upon.  So, in the midst of some pretty valid criticism, I hope you will take a moment to share my thanks.

Now, go devour your turkeys, to-furkeys, casseroles, and pies.

I'll go back to work ... and eating cabbage and rice.

*For the record, it goes without saying that I am thankful for my family and friends and their support while I am on this crazy adventure.  I am also thankful for the internet and my VPN (take that censorship!).  And, I am thankful to have met some people on this side of the world who care about me and help keep me sane.  


PS: you better believe that there will be a Thanksgiving food potluck (picnic???) when I am back in America -- I want sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie!