Nowadays, it’s hard not to take things for granted.  Everything responding at the speed of light has eroded our patience to the point where, for example, every 100ms (that’s, millisecond, as in 1/1000 of a second) increase in the time it took for amazon.com pages to load led to a 1% decrease in sales.

Additionally, with the convenience of modern living, it’s too easy to become complacent.  Procrastination becomes a way of life.  Our journeys have become shorter and less important – more of an obstacle than anything else – and we forget to enjoy and learn from them and instead focus on getting to our destination as quickly as possible.

And so, with that in mind, I’ve thought about my life, and what I’m thankful for.  On all levels, large and small, especially as it relates to life in the time Thanksgiving originated.  In the spirit of the holiday, I thought I would share some of the things I am most thankful for.

To begin with, I am thankful for all of the comforts of modern life.  A nice apartment, furniture, cooking utensils, the ability to buy nearly any food on earth at a local market any time of the year, electrical appliances, clean running water, the Internet, heating/cooling appliances, etc…  The list goes on.  Sometimes it’s hard to remember all of the effort that goes into producing these things.  It’s also easy to forget that the demand for these items has led to wasteful and/or harmful production procedures.  When it’s just an item on a supermarket shelf in a nice package, it’s easy to forget the sacrifice that went into it.  That being said, I am both thankful and remorseful for that sacrifice.  Thankful for the product, but ashamed for contributing to the process.  On that note, I am thankful of being made more aware of these things, and of the increasing effort to clean up and take responsibility for these practices.  

Which brings me to my next point.  I am very thankful for the increasing awareness and global sense of responsibility to the environment and ethics.  I wonder if it’s because all of us now becoming adults grew up with shows like Captain Planet…  Probably not, but whatever reason, it’s very refreshing to know that not only are people being more aware on all levels, but also more responsible.  It’s refreshing to see people using their power again and making efforts small and large to protect the environment and also to stand up for the ethical treatment of their fellow human beings.

In a time of economic failure and loss, it’s hard not to be thankful for employment, but I am especially thankful for my job.  Not only the fact that I still have one, but that after years of trial and error, I have made my way into a career that I enjoy, working with people that I like, and for a company I feel I can take some pride in.  What’s more is that I am able to work from wherever I am, allowing my wife to take an International job while still keeping mine.  The nature of my job allows this, but not many employers will allow it, and then only for a select group of trusted employees.  I am both deeply honored and thankful for this opportunity, as difficult as it sometimes seems, I wouldn’t trade it.  

On a short, related note, I am also thankful for the Internet.  I would be well and truly lost without it.  Whether it’s keeping in touch with friends and family, looking up directions, a recipe, a definition, figuring out where the heck I know that actor from, or playing a game.  It has become an entrenched part of my life.  There are many times I’d rather be living in the country somewhere completely cut off from technology, but when it comes down to it, I really likes me my Internets.

It is also worth mentioning that I am very thankful for my wife’s job.  Without this job I would never have had the opportunity to live abroad and travel to the places I have been (or will be).  I also would never have met any of our new friends here.

Having now traveled more than I had ever hoped to in my lifetime in just a year of living abroad, I have found myself thankful of a few related things.  First, I am thankful for the diversity of our world.  I love learning about different cultures and cuisines, the histories behind them, and the differences and similarities that connect us all.  On the same note, though I love learning new languages (or bits of languages), I am very thankful for the prevalence of the English language!  Additionally, I have a newfound respect for anyone living in a country without being able to speak the language, and will NEVER AGAIN make a comment such as "You live in America you should speak English!".  I’m also much less tolerant of similarly xenophobic statements.

Being in a new place always brings the opportunity for new friends, and new adventures.  I am boundlessly thankful for both!  Since moving here, I have desperately missed my family and friends that were left behind.  I had originally vowed to write letters (real letters!) but failed that for the reasons I mentioned in my opening statement (technology makes it so easy that you don’t feel bad putting things off, knowing it only takes seconds to do what might normally take an entire evening or longer).  This loneliness, combined with the isolation of working from home, has made me even more thankful than I might have normally been for the new friends I have made, and the easy acceptance into the fold.  It’s a great and supportive community at the school, and I’ve also had the opportunity to make friends outside of the sphere of the school through taekwondo and neighbors.  While I’m not as immersed in the culture as I thought, it is nice to be involved in even a small part of it.

And last, but definitely not least (since I have ALWAYS saved the best for last – especially foods.  Why not have your favorite taste be the one left after the meal?) I am most thankful for my friends and family back in the states and here with me.  I have made friends (and even family!) over the years, some more recent than others, but none less important, that have helped make my life richer and fuller than I could have ever imagined.  Looking back on my life and thinking about what makes a person who they are, I have decided that my friends and family are not just people in my life, but they are actually pieces of it, and of me.  Each person in my life is important to me, and I can’t think of one that I’m not eternally grateful for.  

Looking back to a time when your survival to the next year was a gamble (and not with very good odds), and when much more work went into what you had.  When even the chairs you sat on required a good deal of time, effort and care.  When seeing friends and family could mean a difficult journey of several days or longer.  When you think back to these times, a celebration of Thanks was more about stuffing yourself with as much factory farmed turkey as you could.  It was about being thankful for Life, and all it encompassed.  It was about finding joy and pride in the little things that is hard to come by these days.  And while I am thankful for all that we have gained, I am sometimes sad for what was lost along the way.

We had originally planned on taking a last minute trip to somewhere in Greece, but all of the flights we looked at were far too long.  One of the return flights would take a full 24 hours with all layovers included.  So, with only a few days set aside for travelling, we decided to change our destination and go instead to London.

We didn’t book a hotel in advance, thinking we’d be able to find something pretty easily.  So after our flight, we studied a map and tried to find a location central to what we wanted to do.  We started by strolling down to the London Bridge, then following along the river Thames towards the HMS Belfast.  At Hay’s galleria we stopped to eat and booked tickets for the Phantom of the Opera, and our day trip to Windsor castle, Stonehenge, and Bath.  We also grabbed a bite to eat and took a moment to check out the sculpture that looks like a steampunk version of some Willy Wanka pirate ship.  Cool and weird all at once.

Then we continued along the river, over the Tower Bridge to the Tower of London, where we rode the tube to Westminster.  We strolled along from there, pausing to take in some of the sights; Big Ben and Westminster Abby primarily.  At this point we hadn’t actually entered any of these sites yet, and only admired them from afar and took some photos.  Weather was stereotypically British as we searched for a hotel – overcast and drizzling, so we spent as much time indoors as possible.

We eventually found a somewhat sketchy place a short walk from Buckingham Palace, and booked a room for two nights, intending to find something nicer for our last night – though every other place we’d looked at so far was VERY expensive – over £100/night.

From there, we walked up to the palace and through the park nearby, making our way up to Piccadilly Circus.  The plan being to explore that area until it was time for the show.  We saw (but did not go into) the Ripley’s Believe-It-Or-Not museum, got some snacks and coffees at a cafe, and found a restaurant (The Mermaid’s Tail) that had gluten-free fish and chips, where we would be returning after the show for dinner.

All together we saw two shows and one movie while we were there: Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, and Up.  Phantom was really good, though not as good as when I saw it in Toronto.  I enjoyed Wicked, but not all of it.  Parts were really awesome, while I found others pretty bland.  We saw Up in 3D, and it was interesting.  The 3D effects weren’t all that necessary, but added some depth at a few exciting moments.  It wasn’t exactly what I expected, but it was still a good movie.

For our second day, we had booked a day long tour going to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, then Bath.

Windsor castle was awesome.  Especially for a guy like me who likes castles probably a little too much.  The town around was very nice looking, and the castle itself was spectacular.  I felt like royalty just walking through.  It felt more like a museum than a living space, though, I suppose that’s what it is now.  It would be really cool if it was possible to spend a night there.

Unfortunately photographs weren’t allowed inside, so I only have pictures of the outside.  I would have liked to have more time to visit the surrounding town, and also more information while touring the inside of the castle, but we were pressed for time.

Stonehenge was a lot farther away than I had thought, but definitely worth the drive.  As it turns out, we were one of the last groups to go out there before they reconfigured the roads.  They’re going to be moving the roads so none of them pass close to the ancient monument, and in the future visitors will need to park several kilometers away and walk there through the fields.

 I was interested to learn that they had found some grains under one of the stones that was dated at around 9,000 years old!  The entire monument is so incredibly interesting, mysterious and beautiful in a raw, natural way.  It reminded me a lot of when I went to chichen itza, but with more of a natural feel.  It’s hard to believe that it was constructed thousands of years ago without modern tools, and the stones were brought from a distant mountain range.

After spending far too little time getting rained on while admiring the stones in the middle of a green field dotted with burial mounds, we shipped out to our next ancient monument: the city of Bath.

Bath is a city built around a natural hot spring, which was captured by the Romans.  The Romans, who loved to bathe, harnessed the geothermal energy to create an elaborate and elegant ancient spa, spotted with tributes to the gods.  A prosperous town sprung up around the baths, which is now a picturesque sprawling city with a large tourist draw.

As we came out from the baths, the rain stopped and the sun came out full force, illuminating the emerald green landscape and throwing a rainbow across the sky.

We drove home through some very picturesque landscape, made even more beautiful by the appearance of the sun and rainbow.

After that, we spent our last day touring Westminster Abbey and wandering through town.  The Abbey was another beautiful structure, though it was similar to most other cathedrals I’ve seen so far – very similar layout with tombs everywhere.  The most impressive section for me was the Writer’s Corner, where many famous writers and poets are interred or honored. 

It was a great trip, but too short and rushed.  I’d love to go back again, and maybe with some more people.  I think it would be a very fun place to go with a small group of friends.  We’re also planning another trip later, hoping to stay at a small castle that runs a bed and breakfast out near Bath that we’d heard is relatively inexpensive.

This is a nice, simple recipe that goes great as a main course or a side dish.  This makes enough for 2 moderate servings.

• 1/2 cup quinoa (thoroughly rinsed in cold water)
• 1/2 cup rice (I like to use jasmine rice)
• 2 cups water + bullion cube OR broth/vegetable stock (we use gluten-free vegetable bullion cubes)
• 1 small onion (or half of a regular sized one)
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Bring the water to a boil and add the bullion cube.

At the same time:
Dice up the onion and cook it in the oil on medium heat until they begin to soften.
Add the rice to the oil and onion and stir it around.  Let it cook for a minute or two.
Add the quinoa to the onion and rice and stir it up.  Only let it cook for a few seconds (just long enough to stir it all up).

Add the water/broth and lower the heat.
Let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes (long enough for the liquid to evaporate and be absorbed).

Then it’s done!  Enjoy!