A Thanksgiving Week Back in the USA

For the second time in twenty-five years of living overseas, I went home for Thanksgiving.  The first time I did so was over a decade ago, but I have always remembered the experience with tangible fondness.  And this second time was no let-down either.  In fact, I believe I prefer being “home for the holidays” at Thanksgiving rather than at Christmas.  That may be a blasphemy to an earlier self—way earlier, as in my 20-something self, who was totally a “Christmas spirit”—but Christmas in the USA becomes so frenetic and choreographed when I do the fly-in for two weeks thing.  (Another perk of a Thanksgiving foray to the USA—airfare is markedly less expensive at Thanksgiving than it is at Christmas.) So, between personal days, a medical day, and a Thanksgiving holiday, I could finagle about eight days away from my life in Seoul.

The plane out of Seoul lifted off about 6:40 Saturday evening, and I arrived at Salt Lake International about 7:00 on the same Saturday evening—and that’s with a four-hour layover in San Francisco!  (Gotta love the time/space mathematics involved with crossing the International Date Line!)  I picked up my rental car and drove to my dad’s place in Stansbury Park, announced my arrival, and promptly headed to the Walmart in Tooele.  With such a limited stateside timeframe, I figured why not complete my Walmart moment of the trip that Saturday night and be done with it!  When one lives the greater part of one’s life outside of the USA, one develops an appreciation for certain Walmart qualities and offerings.  However, that appreciation does not negate my amazed consternation amassed through multiple sightings of Walmart shoppers clad in pajamas—and I’m not talking about children here either!

With a diminishing shopping gene in my current DNA coil, I usually can only sustain brief, focused shopping sorties these days.  Target and REI rated positions on my week’s itinerary, and I did a speedy reconnaissance of Fashion Place Mall.  Of course I supplemented most errands and wanderings necessitating a car with a stop for sustenance at Café Rio.  Mexican cuisine remains a consummate craving while I live abroad, and Café Rio assuages it so well.  I could never quite fit in Chipotle Grill or Rubio’s but there’s always summer!  Three movies, too, were viewed, nestled within the framework of my comings and goings:

(1)  Life of Pi – I loved the book when I read it six or seven years ago.  The movie truly captures the essence of the book, so I quite liked the movie, too.  It is a visual feast, as well, because much of the cinematography is so beautiful..  I can’t decide, though, how successfully the movie will connect with those who have not read the book.

(2)  Breaking Dawn, part 2 – I read the entire Twilight series and saw all the previous movies.  I felt I was entitled to movie closure!

(3)  Lincoln – Absolutely amazing!  Powerful performances and a riveting story arc.  There are many parallels that could be drawn between the political period represented in the movie and the one in which we are currently entrenched.

At my medical appointment, the doctor diagnosed the pain in my left foot as plantar fasciitis.  We discussed shoes, stretches, and exercises to mitigate the pain, and he gave me a prescription for a mega pain-killer since over-the-counter options had failed to noticeably alleviate my pain.  (I am happy to report that since instituting my now nightly mini-routine of stretches and exercises, I have had no more episodes of pain in my left foot, and I have a mostly full bottle of prescription pain-meds forthwith unneeded.)  I also requested a tetanus shot—one I consciously keep current because many of my travel destinations warrant such diligence—and the doctor suggested I get the tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis booster . . . for my travels and my profession!  (He informed me that last winter he treated three different adults for whooping cough!)  I got the shot he recommended.

Despite the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, three different mornings of my Thanksgiving week I went running.  Quite exhilarating runs, too, if I do say so myself.  In truth, running has never triggered any of my bouts of foot pain.  Days in succession where I’ve done lots of walking and standing seem to be the actual triggers.  Go figure.

Family, friends, and holiday festivities filled the rest of week gloriously.  My niece Jalayne visted Sunday evening, and after a Sunday dinner, she provided the necessary reteaching for the four of us—Dad, Clarine, Jalayne, and I—to compete in several rounds of the Domino game “Train.”  (Jalayne also reminded me that I originally taught this game to the family…back in the day!)  Carolee and I celebrated her birthday a couple weeks early with a leisurely lunch at Chili’s.  I accompanied my dad and Clarine to “Pie Night” at the church.  Dad and Clarine ate chicken pot pie and dessert pie; I reveled in the season and dined on only dessert pie!  My brother Phil had promised his daughter Sheridan one of his cheesecakes for her November birthday, and they waited until my week in-country so that I could also partake of this masterpiece of gastronomy.  Although I’m not a big fan of most cheesecake—too rich and too sweet—I think my brother’s cheesecake is cheesecake perfection.  On Wednesday the cake was pronounced ready.  When I arrived at their home that afternoon, Sheridan cut me an embarrassingly large slice, and I consumed it all, leaving nary a crumb. 

On Thanksgiving Day I commenced the holiday by arriving at my brother Phil’s house just before noon to feed (and, yes, that is the operative verb, I’m afraid) on a magnificent spread of hors d’oeuvres plus, I confess, another slice of cheesecake.  Sheridan and Zack, my niece and nephew, taught me how to play Canasta, and on my initial round Phil also offered significant support.  Afterwards Max joined us for the game Minotaurus—kind of like Chinese Checkers in  Lego format with the addition of a Minotaur option that can be loosed to devour an opponent’s playing piece, which will subsequently be sent back to the beginning.  Later in the day I meandered over to the Cahoon’s for the full traditional Thanksgiving feast.  Bounteous good food and exceptional company.

I took my leave of the USA beginning early on a Saturday morning.  When journeying westward, the International Date Line crossing does not work in optimal mode for a traveler: I arrived in Seoul late Sunday afternoon.  The next morning at school my students expressed joy and relief that I had returned.  Nothing like absence to clarify for students the impact of a teacher!