Dearest ML,
Happy thanksgiving :) It was actually my first thanksgiving ever in the States, and gave me a lot of thoughts.
I googled and briefly know the origin of thanksgiving is to give thanks to God - which is all good. It is also about family gathering and stuff - kinda like Chinese New Year. OK I got it.
M had been so kind and brought me to the volunteer work in Civic Center in Santa Monica, and we served food to the homeless / poor for 2.5 hours on the Thanksgiving Day. I just cannot believe there were SO many homeless / poor people waiting in line for food. It is just too bad. Considering Santa Monica is probably one of the wealthiest regions in the country (which I may be wrong), it is just sad to see the disparity between the poor and the rich is SO huge. No discrimination but those were people that were really homeless, that were stinky and with dirty clothes etc. Sad to see what's happening in this country.
Then I saw the pie center - it was literally full of pies (I estimated it should be over 300??). Again there were people in this country wealthy enough to donate pies but so much homeless to feed.
Later that night we went to his uncle house for a nice dinner with his not-so-close relatives - in a very nice condol in Beverly Hills area. I cannot stop comparing the environment that I was in at night vs the Civic Center in the afternoon.
Possibly because thanksgiving is 1 month before Christmas, it has been a time for shopping (or Black Friday). The pile of discount booklets in LA times was literally two inches thick :0)
Put it this way, I know the Americans love spending but have they thought about:
- there are just some people in this country in the same land that are really really poor?
- why there is the constant need to spend / to buy?
- is it about time to think twice before we buy anything?
I am constantly thinking about the last point myself. Considering I packed 15 tops, 3 tees, 1 pair of long jeans, 1 demin mini-skirt, 3 pairs of shorts & 3 pairs of shoes for the almost 90 days stay in LA, I believe it is actually a breakthrough for me to reconsider what I should pack and what I should buy in future.
Clothing are actually more durable than you thought. Same for the shoes.
Despite having said that, I did buy something for my friends and family for my return back home tomorrow.
k xoxo
Yes, the gap between the rich and poor in America is massive. And there were great numbers of homeless people. Some were lucky and strong enough to survive. Some weren't. This is how the world goes..the reality is tough. Japanese and Americans are brainwashed to spend and spend: consumer society. I'm a little too minimalist, but I don't see any values and fun in materials, no matter it's cheap or expensive. I didn't know what was really important in life when I was younger..
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