Happy Thanksgiving!
Ugh. What am I doing on my favorite holiday? Sitting in a smokey Internet cafe that’s playing 80s rock. NOT preparing a turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and apple pie…what I love doing and have been doing (or helping do) every Thanksgiving since I was like 5. I mean, I even got to do it when I was stuck in LA and was sharing it with others than my own family. Why am I still not doing it here, then, you ask? Well, for starters, they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here. Obviously. But I can’t even spread my own holiday cheer as
1) they don’t have turkeys
2) they don’t have ovens
So making anything but mashed potatoes and gravy is impossible.
But being out of America for Thanksgiving isn’t the only thing that’s making me miss the good ol’ US of A. No. I also know I’m going to be missing my birthday and Christmas, both days of which are meant to be spent with friends and family (and if you’re like me and plan them right, you can even spend half the day with the special people of the East Coast or Midwest and the other half with the wonderful people of LA). Don’t get me wrong. I’ve made friends here, and the others at the NGO have been wonderful about opening up their homes and families to me. But, you know, it’s just not the same. As much as I hate winter, I love this time of year in the US because of the time with my close friends and family.
Besides missing my friends and family, though, I’m also missing my computer discs, which, too, are in Missouri. Somewhere in the 11 boxes of stuff I shipped to my parents’ house are the discs that I need to keep my computer from committing suicide.
Then, there’s also the fact that I don’t feel much like a traveler anymore. Not only am I seeing much less of this area than I did of others, but with my savings quickly dwindling, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay on the road for the last two months of my planned year away, so I don’t have that feeling of looking forward to the next place that had been propelling me forward when I’d get homesick or lonely before.
And couple all of this with Missouri football, and I could literally cry. Honestly. When I was checking the scores/BCS standings/AP rankings after last weekend’s games I got completely misty eyed. Four months ago, who the eff thought Missouri and “BCS title game” would be breathed in the same sentence? But after last week’s upsets, it’s a definite possibility. And missing the big game against kansas this weekend, is literally killing me. I mean, I can’t even watch the game anywhere here, and the Internet cafe doesn’t open until probably the third or fourth quarter, so not even Gametracker is an option. Grr!!!
And honestly, what could be better than playing in the BCS title game? Keeping kansas out, of course. And is it bad that I’ve even considered not keeping my “you can’t live off your parents’ money” savings (what should be my first couple of months’ rent and living money) and spending it on tickets to New Orleans and a game ticket if the Tigers were to play on Jan. 7? Probably, huh?
So, yeah, I’m definitely hoping to get/expecting calls/text messages sent from Arrowhead Stadium (or your living rooms if you’re out of MO), with updates on Saturday night/Sunday morning.
Sigh.
hey jayna,
. maybe chutney can be your cranberry dressing?
sorry to hear about your homesickness
happy thanksgiving from freezing cold l.a.!
But, don’t worry. You’ll wake up tomorrow and suddenly things will feel better. You can snap out of it, I have faithh
I think sometimes we need to let ourselves wallow a little.
Dont suffer. It´s normal to feel that way in special ocassions, and once you feel bad about one thing, why not feel bad about more things at the same time? And your mind starts wandering and all you see is the bad stuff of not being home. Try to focus on the positive aspects, because before you know it your travelling time will run up and you will be back home celebrating Thanksgiving and watching games, year after year, and you will look back on those good old days when you were an adventurer seeing the world all by yourself.
Cheer up. Do something different tomorrow, something that you won´t be able to do when you are back home and that you will remember as a special moment you had once in India…
ana (I wrote my first comment back on your “the lost girls” entry, in case you are wondering “who the heck…?)
I have been thinking about you all day today. I was at the abysmal UCLA – Oregon game… neither team showed up to play. Final score: 16-0. And 10 points were made by the kicker. Sad.
Yet, they kept flashing “Missouri Kansas 5 pm kick off ” on the scoreboard, and I thought of how mad you must be right now. Seriously, Mizzou… No.2!?!? Who would have thought? Just so you know, Mizzou is up 14-0 over Kansas right now, and I am cheering extra loud on your behalf. And I am eating a hot dog. Actually pigs in a blanket – you know, hot dog wrapped in a pillsbury crescent roll. Yummy. Hot dog and Missour Football – it’s like I am paying homage to Jayna.
Miss you!
I am in Texas right now and Tyson, Ben and I watched the game last night at our friend Phillip’s place in our Mizzou gear. The Kansas folks that he invited came to the party and said, “I can’t believe you invited Mizzou people.” Ha ha, you should have seen the look on their faces when we won!!!! Miss ya so so much.
Jayna, just wanted you to know I was watching Saturday and rooting SO hard for you guys!!!! I know it is totally different, but when the Sox won the World Series in 04 it was BRUTAL not being at home. Watching game 5 with you at Shark’s Cove was the best experience I had the whole playoffs. In the end, it worked out, and I enjoyed the aftermath for the whole next year. I’m just saying I feel your pain and am thinking of you! Stretch the trip out as long as you can, you know you will be back home eventually, and you need to get to Africa!! Alright, hope all is well.
Also, I was in Ghana for a Thanksgiving! Ate Chinese Food and watched the Jackie Chan / Owen Wilson western movie!!! I am LOLing just thinking about it. I am feeling your pain!
Thanks for all the positive thoughts, everyone. I really do appreciate it! I know feeling sorry for myself isn’t the best thing, but sometimes I just have to do it…
And glad to hear that some of you got to watch the game, too!!!
OK…so I have a bit more time to respond to all the posts…
unhip: I actually don’t eat cranberry sauce back home…hehehe.
Kyle: I did wake up feeling much better the next day. Except for that whole spraining-the-ankle bit.
Ana: Well, I hope you enjoy getting to read the ups and downs of the trip!
Meghan: The other day I came across the pic of us at the UCLA game a couple of years ago. Really, who would’ve thunk the MU-kU game preview would be continuously flashed at a Pac 10 game? I’m sure we’re both quite surprised.
An: Great to hear from you! I would’ve LOVED to have been there. We should catch up soon, though!
Matt: Thanks for the advice and the good memories! Shark’s Cove was a great place that fall! (Although if I recall correctly, we couldn’t watch any of the actual series together…as the Cards’ quick losses weren’t making me that great of company.) But I know you’re right. I should watch bad American movies when I’m feeling homesick…and not spend my last bit of cash on a trip to NOLA. (And the plan is to go to Africa after India…even have the plane ticket in hand…we’ll just have to see what my bank account says in Feb.!)