Email: thanksgiving, it's strange

really quick, I awoke from a delicious American food coma at 3 am and
came down to find an empty computer room, so I want to be able to wish
everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND BLACK FRIDAY. I tried explaining the
American tradition of thanksgiving weekend to a gambian, she
understood the family getting together and sharing a lot of food, and
chatting and catching up and all that. But then I explained that the
day after, everyone goes shopping! Like crazy shopping. It was wierd.
She looked at me like, how strange, they have a day where everything
is on sale and they dont go to work b/c they are shopping. In a place
that's still warming up to the idea of a supermarket, a day of
shopping is like suddenly landing on the moon.

Which brings me to another point. I got a lot of cool emails about how
happy everyone was after the election. Like there was this vibe of
happiness and joy. One friend wrote "I felt like I was seeing the
political equivalent of the moon-landing." And I felt so empty. Being
abroad lessens those shared experiences. Like being in Berlin for
Katrina, being in Africa for the election has left me thinking it is
real, but unreal. that shared excitement is lost on me. I came here on
the 4th to watch the cnn coverage, saw the dumb hologram, saw the New
England returns, then went to bed. Woke up, Obama was president. I
went to site, and literally haven't thought about it since. That
disconnection is so strange. Like, moon landings don't come around
everyday. Am I missing another one?

Of course I am having my own experiences. I still have little idea how
I can properly articulate the feeling of 'being here'. It strikes me
the most when ppl's parents or friends come to visit from the states,
I meet them and kept help but feel like they are looking at me and
thinking, he's so strange.

all is good. November has been a good month for me, hope the same for you,

dick