It's the fourth Thursday in November, and anyone in the USA can tell you what that means: too much food, too much American football, and tomorrow being a day of rampant consumerism. What does it mean when an American is outside of the USA? (And Brazil as well, since they also celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November.) Let me tell you. Not much.
People are going about their business. The topics of interest around here (and I am guessing, because (a) my language skills are abysmal, and (2) it's difficult to get social) is the forecasted rain for tonight and tomorrow, and then ongoing volcanic eruption a few islands down the archipelago. What's that? You forgot about the volcano? Yeah, most people probably have, but it's still going strong. There are a few YouTube channels (1, 2, 3) dedicated to it that broadcast live, around the clock. I've been checking in on them periodically. When a new tongue of lava reached the ocean a few days ago (mostly captured on feed #2), that was interesting and impressive to watch.
As for the rain, it's supposed to drop about 0.5" (13 mm) before it quits. For a desert island that averages less than 4.5" (109 mm) of rain annually, it's pretty significant to get 10% of the annual total in 24 hours. On the hike Tuesday, Gilles and I passed a stretch of hillside (I'm guessing about an acre or two in size) that had been concreted over to funnel and capture the rain in a large underground cistern. It'd be interesting to see it in action.
How do I feel about spending Thanksgiving on a Spanish island? Mostly the same as I would in the USA: I would usually go for a run, as I did this morning. I would spend most, if not all, of the day alone, as I will be here. I would read, and consume electronic entertainment, as I will here. It seems my life is not significantly impacted by my location. I guess I'm pretty well self-contained, and that condition's been unchanged for years now, for all intents and purposes.
So, another Thanksgiving. Same stuff, same life, different food, different place. At least I won't overeat.
People are going about their business. The topics of interest around here (and I am guessing, because (a) my language skills are abysmal, and (2) it's difficult to get social) is the forecasted rain for tonight and tomorrow, and then ongoing volcanic eruption a few islands down the archipelago. What's that? You forgot about the volcano? Yeah, most people probably have, but it's still going strong. There are a few YouTube channels (1, 2, 3) dedicated to it that broadcast live, around the clock. I've been checking in on them periodically. When a new tongue of lava reached the ocean a few days ago (mostly captured on feed #2), that was interesting and impressive to watch.
As for the rain, it's supposed to drop about 0.5" (13 mm) before it quits. For a desert island that averages less than 4.5" (109 mm) of rain annually, it's pretty significant to get 10% of the annual total in 24 hours. On the hike Tuesday, Gilles and I passed a stretch of hillside (I'm guessing about an acre or two in size) that had been concreted over to funnel and capture the rain in a large underground cistern. It'd be interesting to see it in action.
How do I feel about spending Thanksgiving on a Spanish island? Mostly the same as I would in the USA: I would usually go for a run, as I did this morning. I would spend most, if not all, of the day alone, as I will be here. I would read, and consume electronic entertainment, as I will here. It seems my life is not significantly impacted by my location. I guess I'm pretty well self-contained, and that condition's been unchanged for years now, for all intents and purposes.
So, another Thanksgiving. Same stuff, same life, different food, different place. At least I won't overeat.
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