So Much to be Thankful For

With the sleep still in my eyes, I kissed Jason goodbye and staggered down the stairs. It's true what they say about the dark before the dawn, and in late November, chilly, misty mornings are the only type of mornings there are. My bag was heavy, filled with wine and chocolate and my good boots in anticipation of the wintery weather that was waiting for me.

Excitement and a cup of bitter coffee keep me from sleeping. It's been 10 months. How much longer until we're there? I just want to be there.

There is no greater sight on the face of the earth than my parents' smiles when I finally step off the escalator in baggage claim. My dad always waves one thick, rugged hand and my mom always looks as though someone has finally taken a heavy load off her shoulders. It bring tears to my eyes every time.

"Have you been watching the news? They finally lifted the state of emergency in Buffalo. Aunt Carol says the thruway is open again and they are working on clearing the snow at the church parking lot. It looked bad for a minute there but I think they're going to pull it off." While Rochester was completely unscathed, our neighbors to the west were buried by the worst snowstorm in recent history, with certain parts of city seeing up to 7 feet of accumulation over the course of a week. If rain on your wedding day is supposed to bring good luck, what does a record-setting blizzard bring?

Of the seven cousins on my dad's side, Steven has always been the witty, quietly silly one. He can give you a look and you're laughing immediately, not even necessarily knowing why. Ashley is just as sharp, just as quick with exactly the right thing to say. But they both have this earnest sincerity about them, as well. Watching them recite their vows to each other, you knew they meant it. I am excited for the rest of their life together.

Patrick and I don't talk much. He filled his quota of big brother duties when we were still in elementary school and we have been pretty absent from each others' lives for a good 15 years. I love him, but I don't know him anymore. Moving to Buffalo and starting a family of his own was certainly not the only cause of the growing divide between us but for the first time in a long time, I felt like that gap shrank a little bit. We sipped cocktails, and laughed and talked about being adults and how that changes everything. And we danced.

Some of my favorite people in the world

Consumerism has spoiled most holidays for me but Thanksgiving has remained pure and beautiful. It's hard to ruin a day that is exclusively dedicated to family, food, and feeling grateful. My time at home is always so limited and it has shown me how important it is to truly get the most out of every moment with the people I love. There were many wedding-related errands to run, but the giddy excitement in my mother's eyes as worth it. Even the simple act of sitting next to her in the car again is time well spent.

Just as suddenly as it began, the week was over. On the way to the airport, we stopped quickly at Grandma and Grandpa's house. At 96, his health was fading quickly and as Grandma put it in her blunt way, "God's calling him but he can't hear Him!" (The high-pitched squeal of his hearing aid is forever etched in my memories from childhood but he had given it up completely.) Knowing that he was due for a little fresh air, we managed to get him into the van so he could come along for the ride. Absent the dry erase boards that litter the house, I scrawled a simple note in the back of the book I was reading: "Taking Nicole to Airport. She's going back to France." It took him the entire ride to decipher it and I doubt he knew that I was Nicole but it didn't matter. As I gathered my bags, he waved one thick, rugged hand and it looked as though a heavy load had been lifted from his shoulders. I knew the sad, inevitable truth that lay ahead, but in that moment, he looked so genuinely happy and it brought tears to my eyes.

Thankful

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and in the spirit of the holiday, I have several things that I am thankful for that I would like to share with all of you. I ask that you please forgive the sappiness.

I am thankful for this amazing opportunity to live in Bordeaux and experience another way of life.  It's fascinating the way living in another culture can teach you so much about your own. I think that you find your truest self in times of great challenge, and this will certainly be a challenge, but it's one I am excited to take on. I am thankful for Jason being the catalyst for this whole experience. I can't imagine anyone better with whom to share the adventure. He is my partner in crime, my teammate, my lover and my best friend, and I am grateful every single day to have him in my life.

I am thankful for Baltimore City Schools giving me a hefty raise last year so that I could save up enough money to make this trip possible. I am thankful for my former students for keeping in touch and reminding me why I got into teaching in the first place. I love every one of them and I am proud to have  played a small part on their paths to adulthood. I am thankful for my fellow teachers who continue to fight the good fight and inspire young minds all over the world.

I am thankful for Mylène, my French teacher, who sees my potential before I can see it myself. She has encouraged me to look into other schools because I am already at the highest level they offer and she thinks I will be well beyond it very soon. "It's not exactly a best practice to send people away from your school, but I think you could do better for yourself. If you want to become a really good French teacher, you're going to need more than we can offer you here. Let me know if I can help." I am thankful for her recommendation for a rugby team I might like to play with in the coming season. !!!

I am thankful for Hong Li for telling the rest of our French class about the story of Thanksgiving when I lacked the words. Even if it's a bit fictitious and we later went on to murder a bunch of Native Americans, it is still nice to think that this whole day is supposed to be about lending a hand to those in need and being grateful for the generosity of others.

I am thankful for Hunter, who has been absolutely invaluable in helping me get settled here. From being my tour guide, to being the liaison between me and the other Chinese people on campus, to being my favorite Aretha Franklin impersonator, he has made me feel so at home here.

I am thankful to Ashley and Guillem for inviting me into their home last night for the closest thing to a real American Thanksgiving meal as one can muster in France. Even if our turkey was breast slices rolled up like a Ho-Ho and our cranberry sauce was made from Craisins, we ate well and had a wonderful evening. I even managed to pull off my mother's apple crumb pie FROM SRATCH. Even made my own pie crust.

I am thankful for my years in college that taught me when enough was enough so that I didn't end up like the girl in the bar last night, who was too drunk to stand up, had peed on herself, and had ripped a giant hole in her very expensive-looking black stockings. I am thankful for my friends who, unlike her friends, would have immediately rushed me home if I were even approaching that level of intoxication, so that I would not completely embarrass myself. And I don't care if it's the school's mascot, putting a panda hat on her while she slumps in a semi-conscious state on the couch is just rubbing salt in the wound.

I am thankful for Google Hangout/Skype because they have allowed me to keep in touch with my friends and family back home. In addition to our Thanksgiving gathering here in Bordeaux, I got to spend time with the Bayer family in Waynesboro and my parents in Rochester, all in the same evening. Impossible in real life, totally doable with video chat. And yes, I know it's not quite the same as actually being there, but it's definitely the next best thing.

I am thankful for Babylangues, even though they kinda upset me on Tuesday, because today they offered me a job! No specifics yet, but they are coming soon... I am thankful for Skype interviews because I can wear pajama pants and still get a job. (Don't worry, I wore a blazer on top and even did my make-up.)

Finally, I am thankful for Thanksgiving because it reminds us all to take a moment out of our lives and think about all the things we have to be thankful for. Whether you can only come up with a handful of things or you have a list as long as your arm, we all have something or someone that deserves our gratitude. And by the way, you don't have to wait until November to give thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.