Thanksgiving Day (Día de Acción de Gracias) is a unique holiday that is set apart for people in the United States of America to publically acknowledge the beginning (la empieza) of our country, to celebrate the bounty of the harvest that was found in the new world, to understand (comprender) that peace among diversity was possible and of course, to offer thanks to God for the blessings (las bendiciones) that have been afforded, both temporal and eternal. It is not a holiday that is celebrated or even acknowledged in other parts of the world, as it is a distinct day (un dia especial) for people from the USA to honor family and participate in traditions, such as a feast of turkey (el pavo), pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes (papas pure) and other culinary favorites, as well as the obligatory nap (descanso) in the afternoon followed by watching the NFL special broadcast of American Football.
For me, the chance to spend (gastar) the fourth Thursday in November, the day set aside for the Thanksgiving holiday, in Santiago, Chile also reminded me that I am still a long way (muy lejos) from home. To my colleagues here, this Thursday is just another spring day, at the university a signal (un señal) that the end of the semester is near, and that summer break is on its way (en camino). For others, it is just a sign that November is almost over, and with December comes the holiday of Christmas (la Navidad) followed by New Year’s (El Ano Nuevo) celebrations, points that are important for family and friends here in Chile and around the world, but not this day, not Thanksgiving as a holiday.
Many of my Chilean friends (mis amigos chilenos) have asked me about Thanksgiving, to them it is a foreign holiday, meaning it is something they do not completely understand in its reasons, manners or traditions (sus razones, maneras o tradiciones). In some ways, Thanksgiving day in Chile is a lot like me, overlooked at times, seen as something in the distance, something foreign (algo extraño), not connected or integrated into the life at hand. Yet, in other ways, Thanksgiving is alive and well around the world, even in Chile, where American colleagues living abroad take the time to gather and to celebrate (celebrar) this holiday together. In fact, on this day of Thanksgiving, I am attending a luncheon put on by the US Embassy, which provides a chance to honor (honorar) this traditional holiday in a nontraditional environment and setting.
I have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season, my faith (mi fe), my wife (mi esposa), my family (mi familia), my friends (mis amigos) and my work (mi trabajo). I am truly thankful for the experience that I have been afforded with the Fulbright US Scholars program, which has given me the gift (el regalo) of immersion into another culture and into another language. I am thankful of the support (el apoyo) I have had from others, both here and back home, as an experience like this over 5 months requires cooperation and coordination from a team (un equipo), not merely from any one individual. I am thankful that I have been humbled in my days in Chile, and that I have also been allowed to grow (crecer) and to flourish in new directions. I am also thankful that I will soon be returning home, to reconnect with my family and friends, to reintegrate (reintegrar) into the US society, and to be able to apply what I have learned in ways to benefit my community and nation (mi comunidad y nación).
Yes, I am truly thankful this day in November, although the world (el mundo) around me will move along like just another Thursday in the working week (la semana laboral). But my walk will be different today, and probably in some ways, will be different from here on out, as in reality (en realidad), I am reminded that each day (cada día) is Thanksgiving day, because we there is some much to be thankful (agradecido) for in this blessing we call life.
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