In honor of Thanksgiving, the website will be relatively silent for a couple days. People will be home with their families, enjoying generous heaps of turkey with tart cranberry sauce, mixed with gravy overflowing from mashed potatoes, followed by pumpkin…*sobbing*…after deep sleep, people will awake to flood the stores and their sales, then enjoy a relaxing weekend together with loved ones.

We can’t deny it – we miss our families terribly. I miss the rich smells of Thanksgiving cooking, the silky drowsiness of wine and turkey, the bite of cold on a post-dinner walk. One consequence of our travels is that we experience these moments in abstentia.

I’d like to dedicate this post to the family that I’m missing.

My Mom and my “little brother” James, relaxing in Tahoe during my last days in California.

In order from left to right: my handsome “little brother” James, my energetic step-brother Jonathan, some stray moron, my witty step-mother Carrie, and my space-cadet Dad.

Here’s some Thanksgiving wishes, from Vietnam…

-Matt

Thanksgiving has never been a big tradition in my family– at least not in the way that I experienced it through my Midwestern friends. This day was always about spending time at home with family; eating a dinner that was only a little larger than our typically bountiful meals; and spending extra time at the table. This year has been more spartan for me than any before it. I have only thought of the holiday occasionally, and taught English for five hours without mentioning it once. But in the spirit of the day, I have something special to be thankful for this year.

This year, of all years, I’ll be going home for Christmas. Despite the circumstances that draw me home, I count myself immensely lucky to have this privilege. Lucky to have such a warm and inviting home and family waiting for me at the end of this. Lucky to be able to see good friends.

Most of all though– and I try to talk about this as little as possible around the guys– I’m lucky that in a week, I’ll be eating a double quarter-pounder with cheese in my perfectly air conditioned car, and obeying traffic laws for the first time in months. I’ve never looked forward to driving through Nebraska so much.

-Rob