Things I am grateful for

I know I make these sarcastic posts about all my second world problems and six a.m. facebook posts about my salsa cravings, but life is so not bad even a little bit. And I want to make sure you all know that. And I want to work on being a more gracious person. So here I am. Being gracious.

I am so, unbelievably grateful:

• to have a job. I can't speak to the job market currently in the US, but unless it has had some freak up-turn, any job worth having is few and far between. 
• to have my own apartment. I didn't realize how soul-sucking living with people was until I was sitting in my apartment alone, giggling about how happy I was to be entirely alone. If the dishes aren't done, I can't hold some deep-seated resentment toward my dirty roommate. And I never have to feel guilty about not washing my clothes for weeks on end until it reaches that point where my dirty clothes become my new floor.
• for Happy Potato, a restaurant right near my work. It's super cheap, sells this lovely udon soup that warms me to the bone, and the owners know what I want every time I come in.
• On that note, for Koreans. On the whole, I have found the people of this country to be warm and welcoming. 
• for my foreigner coworkers. I know that some people come to Korea and work at a school as the only foreigner. I shouldn't have to tell you how bad that would suck. I have people to spend the holidays with (we're currently planning an epic Thanksgiving feast), I have girls to go shopping with and boys to . . . work with. 
• for that fleeting glimpse I had of one of my bygone Kindys - Amy - as she disappeared into the elevator today.

That's my short list. I am, of course, forever grateful for my family, my friends, my clothing (that keeps me warm in this freezing weather), heaters, and that ilk. But a list such as this really puts me in the holiday spirit, even if I can't participate in a lot of the holiday-related festivities.