In many ways Thanksgiving is a simple marker for the beginning of our shift toward returning home. It is a holiday which many cherish and a marker of the time and distance which separates us from familiarity and thus an example of what we give up when we step into an unknown adventure.
Sitting at a long, cobbled together table in Soweto, our group tried to figure out a new way of celebrating a holiday with a challenging narrative. From the beginning of semester, we have examined and re-examined that which we see, read and hear.
This means questioning the simple constructs of society we rely on to navigate through our days. It means questioning one another openly, honestly, and poignantly.
And finally, it means questioning ourselves, with compassion, in order to step into a space of growth. At our Thanksgiving table we read different perspectives about the treatment of indigenous peoples in The United States, founding myths, and words from indigenous peoples about their own experience.
We spoke about the families, roots, and friends we are grateful for. We sent love to those far away through lighting candles. We burnt figuratively that which we need to release from ourselves. And finally, we held shells from the Indian Ocean, which represent the start of a collection of moments and adventures. That is, in so many ways, what TTS is: a beginning. And so as we approach a long series of flights to return individuals safely home, we focus in on this sense of beginning rather than ending.
