Thankful!

It’s November already; can you believe it?!?!  Even though we just came back from summer break and had a brief intermission for Golden Week, it just doesn’t seem right that the holiday season is upon us! Halloween just came and went and now it is just a big fat countdown until Christmas and the New Year.

We are so very pleased and feel so fortunate for your continued support and encouragement.  Our STARAfood project has introduced us to so many wonderful friends and experiences. Living as an expat often means living with uncertainty and insecurity. Even though a contract may state a certain number of years, we can never really know for sure. And when embarking on a project that involves commitment to others and if you have, as we do, a determination not to disappoint, it becomes tricky.  

Our classes have becomes so popular that we are full, with waitlists, until the end of the year!  Obviously we are ecstatic (and thankful) about this but also a bit sad that we cannot stretch ourselves more and accommodate everyone. We have just penned down next years’ classes and will publish dates and themes as soon as possible.  We have some different and exciting themes for the coming year and look forward to sharing them with everyone.  That said, if there is anything in particular you want to learn and/or explore, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Stacey’s favorite holiday is next week – Thanksgiving.  The day is all about family, friends and, of course, food (with a little American football thrown in for fun)!  We will order the largest turkey in Beijing to accommodate our 25 or so guests so it’s a good thing Sara has the largest oven in Shunyi.  We will hunt down cranberries, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and green beans, delegate wisely and enjoy a big cooking fest with our friends from all around the world - including a family of Thanksgiving virgins.

Thanksgiving is truly a wonderful holiday free of commitments (other than stuffing yourself) that kicks off the holiday season. It is delightful to be able to share something that was definitely not in Sara’s cultural DNA but that she has adopted over the years. Isn’t that what living the expat life is all about - picking and choosing the best berries that your adopted country has to offer?  Every year is a year full of celebrations; whether they make complete sense to everyone or not, and many, many reasons to get together and enjoy good food together with good friends from around the world.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Let’s kick off the Holiday Season with a BANG!