Trying...

Canadian Thanksgiving was on Monday, and several of the teachers (myself included) headed downtown to a major hotel, where we had arranged for a proper turkey dinner. Over the course of the meal, my table began talking about what we are thankful for. Having had a fairly bumpy few months, the answers were fairly facetious...

"I'm thankful that the water is turned on between 6am and 7am and not 4am and 5am."

"I'm thankful that I haven't had a nervous breakdown yet."
"I'm thankful that beer is so cheap."
"I'm thankful that my apartment isn't as bad as yours."
"I'm thankful that I haven't gotten seriously ill yet."
"I'm thankful that I haven't gone postal."
"I'm thankful that I haven't been hit while crossing the road."
"I'm thankful that my ceiling hasn't fallen down on me yet."

... you get the picture.

Certainly, there remains a lot to complain about. I've been thinking about it a bit over the last few days, though, and it occurred to me that there must be a few things that I am really and truly thankful for.

My first few attempts were, I think, just half-hearted efforts to put a good spin on a bad situation. I can try telling myself that the fact that my hair is starting to turn to dreadlocks from lack of showering is a good thing, but, really I've never liked dreadlocks, never wanted them and never will. Experimental hairstyles resulting from poor hygiene are not something I'm really thankful for. Similarly, I can try telling myself that it's a blessing to be experiencing living on a waterless, cold compound in the middle of Nowhere, China, but the reality is, I'm not. It's great to have experienced it. The continuation of it really kind of sucks.

Still, there's got to be something keeping me here, right? What follows is a list of things I really am thankful for.

1. The incredible professional opportunity that being here affords me. How many of you have started ordering from scratch? How many of you have ordered your own furniture? From the carpenter? In Chinese? Set up a web portal? Set up a catalogue? Trained volunteers? All of the above?

Bring on any interview question you can think of. I not only have an example or an opinion on the subject, but I can probably talk your ear off.

2. Much as it's a mixed blessing, I really like the size of the school right now. There are very few students and I know all of the staff very well; the fact that we all currently live with in a minute of each other and are all suffering through this together creates a really unique bond. Myself, three other teachers and two of the students made moon cakes in the cafeteria last weekend. Sure, the only working oven on campus were the teachers teeny, tiny ones. Still, it was a lot of fun. It's unlikely that it would have happened in a working cafeteria at a school with dozens of teachers and hundreds of students.

3. By extension, I'm thankful for the time I get to spend with these kids. They're an incredible insight into modern China, the culture, and the future. They're also fascinating examples of normal teenagehood. And as individuals, some of them are just pretty damn cool.

4. I'll admit it. I'm thankful that pirated DVDs are really cheap. By extension, I'm thankful for Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy, Veronica Mars, 24, Lost and the first few seasons of Six Feet Under which are coming my way very soon.

5. Along those lines, I'm also very thankful for the fact that there are frequent flights to Beijing, and that they are very cheap.

6. I'm thankful that my friends and family have thus far been tolerant with the fact that I'm almost never in touch, either by phone or email. (Incidentally, there's a rumour that we'll have internet in our apartments by tomorrow evening. I've been hearing that it would be in on Friday every week I've been here, but this rumour seems to hold a little more weight. So, with a little luck, I'll have responded to everyone and Skyped a few more by Monday. Hell, I may start updating this more regularly.)

Now that I'm on a roll, I could probably go on...but I think I'll stop at what feels like a Chinese library miracle.

7. The city of Shenyang, so I'm told, turns the heat on in November. I've heard both November 1st and November 15th and believe me when I say I hope it's the former. This is because it is already quite cold. For reasons that I've yet to understand, all of the doors to the school seem to be perpetually open, letting in all kinds of critters who are seeking warmth. The school itself stretches from East to West, and faces North and South. Those who are unfortunate enough to spend their time in the North facing rooms are already layering up pretty heavily. The library, however, faces South. Not only that, but the entire large South wall is window. While everyone else is freezing, I am still in cool summer clothing. And for this, above everything else, I am really truly beyond words thankful.