Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in America;
Turkey Day, a day of giving thanks. As an editorial in the Guardian accurately calls it, few in America today have much to be thankful for. My thoughts too are weighted down by the travesty of justice inflicted on the grieving people of Ferguson. What have they to be thankful about?
I used to live in America, thirty-two exciting and event-filled years ago. Leaving the States for Europe was the wisest decision I ever made. But like most ordinary middle-class white Americans, I carry around with me a package of memories that are supposed to call up happy times. In fact, centred around my aunt’s autocratic and bullying husband, they comprise one of the few memory packages, I would be happy to never recall again. However, no cloud so bleak and all that … Whenever friends on the net begin to go on about the damage done to young women by patriarchal America, I know viscerally what they are talking about.
Still, I’m not there. I live here in the Europe I had been dreaming about since I was a snotty, wise-ass little girl in Miss Hobby’s American History class. “America is better that Europe,” she prattled, “because you can travel from one side to the other without ever needing a passport.” Little Martha sitting there staring out a window while wishing she was on the other side, thought, ‘YEAH and everywhere you go, same language, same food, same music, same everything. If what’s wrong with Europe is the need to carry a passport to travel from country to country, then getting rid of passports would make Europe perfect, or at least better - right?’
Maybe yes, maybe no. I’m not sure that Europe - or anywhere else for that matter, can ever be perfect. But it’s an experiment I’ve given half my life to and I still believe that the European Community, birthed from commonly agreed upon treaties and with the concept of rule of law enshrined in its heart, may be one of the most extraordinary social engineering concepts ever attempted.
So I have decided to share with you 10 things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving.
1. First and always; my daughter Catie, one of the bravest, brightest creatures I have ever known. Life has thrown some evil curve balls her way in the last years but she never gives up and remains a beacon of light for anyone lucky enough to know her.
2. My friend Nathalie who is celebrating half a century of trouble making and pot stirring on Friday. She keeps me on track when my ideas get too over-blown and is one of the dearest friends I have ever had.
3. My town and community, Kuressaare; the place that has accepted all - or most of my wacky ideas and experiences and pushed me to make something useful out of them.
4. My island Saaremaa; the clean, quiet, beautiful place that allows me to keep my sanity in a world that too often seems to be going off the rails.
5. The Estonian Haigakassa (similar to the UK’s NHS) that repaired my wonky shoulder joint, thereby giving me my life back; with a special shout out to ‘super surgeon’ for his excellent sewing.
6. My other best friend Madame Neri. She’s 13 this year and slowing down but she still makes it possible - or necessary - for me to get out of bed in the morning.
7. Books! They are the fuel that keeps my brain alive, the motor that drove my wanderings when I still had money to wander and a constant comfort in my old age.
8. Words! I love, love, love them! Once upon a time I wanted to be an engineer; wanted to build bridges. I still think they are among the most beautiful of man-made creations. “Girls don’t do that, I was told.” So I turned my attention to books and WORDS! The greatest love affair of my life was born. The structures I can build with these are limited only by my imagination and the effort it takes to get them worked out and written down.
9. Computers and the Internet. At age 20, the only girl in my computer class at NYU, I said, “One day every home will have its own computer.” The boys and even the teacher laughed. Today, if you count-in my telephone, I own three!
10. Now what? Exactly that. I’m thankful for the future; for whatever adventure or challenge may be around the corner or down the street.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!
I used to live in America, thirty-two exciting and event-filled years ago. Leaving the States for Europe was the wisest decision I ever made. But like most ordinary middle-class white Americans, I carry around with me a package of memories that are supposed to call up happy times. In fact, centred around my aunt’s autocratic and bullying husband, they comprise one of the few memory packages, I would be happy to never recall again. However, no cloud so bleak and all that … Whenever friends on the net begin to go on about the damage done to young women by patriarchal America, I know viscerally what they are talking about.
Still, I’m not there. I live here in the Europe I had been dreaming about since I was a snotty, wise-ass little girl in Miss Hobby’s American History class. “America is better that Europe,” she prattled, “because you can travel from one side to the other without ever needing a passport.” Little Martha sitting there staring out a window while wishing she was on the other side, thought, ‘YEAH and everywhere you go, same language, same food, same music, same everything. If what’s wrong with Europe is the need to carry a passport to travel from country to country, then getting rid of passports would make Europe perfect, or at least better - right?’
Maybe yes, maybe no. I’m not sure that Europe - or anywhere else for that matter, can ever be perfect. But it’s an experiment I’ve given half my life to and I still believe that the European Community, birthed from commonly agreed upon treaties and with the concept of rule of law enshrined in its heart, may be one of the most extraordinary social engineering concepts ever attempted.
So I have decided to share with you 10 things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving.
1. First and always; my daughter Catie, one of the bravest, brightest creatures I have ever known. Life has thrown some evil curve balls her way in the last years but she never gives up and remains a beacon of light for anyone lucky enough to know her.
2. My friend Nathalie who is celebrating half a century of trouble making and pot stirring on Friday. She keeps me on track when my ideas get too over-blown and is one of the dearest friends I have ever had.
3. My town and community, Kuressaare; the place that has accepted all - or most of my wacky ideas and experiences and pushed me to make something useful out of them.
4. My island Saaremaa; the clean, quiet, beautiful place that allows me to keep my sanity in a world that too often seems to be going off the rails.
5. The Estonian Haigakassa (similar to the UK’s NHS) that repaired my wonky shoulder joint, thereby giving me my life back; with a special shout out to ‘super surgeon’ for his excellent sewing.
6. My other best friend Madame Neri. She’s 13 this year and slowing down but she still makes it possible - or necessary - for me to get out of bed in the morning.
7. Books! They are the fuel that keeps my brain alive, the motor that drove my wanderings when I still had money to wander and a constant comfort in my old age.
8. Words! I love, love, love them! Once upon a time I wanted to be an engineer; wanted to build bridges. I still think they are among the most beautiful of man-made creations. “Girls don’t do that, I was told.” So I turned my attention to books and WORDS! The greatest love affair of my life was born. The structures I can build with these are limited only by my imagination and the effort it takes to get them worked out and written down.
9. Computers and the Internet. At age 20, the only girl in my computer class at NYU, I said, “One day every home will have its own computer.” The boys and even the teacher laughed. Today, if you count-in my telephone, I own three!
10. Now what? Exactly that. I’m thankful for the future; for whatever adventure or challenge may be around the corner or down the street.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!