In the winter of my junior year at university, I cracked open a bright yellow Moleskine and wrote down five things from the day I was grateful for. I can’t remember what it was exactly that prompted me to begin this practice — it might’ve been my mom rediscovering her own gratitude journal that she had kept when my siblings and I were very small. Or maybe I read something on the internet that promised me this sort of thing would make me a happier, smarter, more radiant person. Who knows.
I made these short lists in my yellow notebook each night before I went to bed. It was a nice way to feel grounded outside of the narrative I had created for myself as an I’ll-Sleep-When-I’m-Dead kind of student. It’s kind of funny how in school it sometimes seemed that we were all trying to outdo each other in our misery. Well, not funny really, but you know what I mean.
I’m happy to report that I had many happy days when choosing only five things to write in my journal was a very difficult thing to do. But there were days when every moment felt pretty rotten and there was not a single thing to be grateful for. Maybe that sounds stupid and dramatic, but I’m just laying out my facts for you. For those days, I had a special default list I would write out to remind myself that I am one lucky kid:
“Today I am grateful for: 1.My family 2. My friends 3. My health 4. My education 5. Coffee.”
No matter how bad my day was, I always had the next morning’s cup of coffee to look forward to and I think that’s a darn good last thought to have before falling asleep.
So anyway, that was a lot of rambling and not all of it was relevant to the purpose of this blog. This, of course, is not a bad-days blog. I’ve just been so overwhelmed with gratitude lately that five lines in a yellow notebook doesn’t feel like enough.
I’m currently in Russia. In Siberia, to be more specific; in Novosibirsk, to be exact. Here’s a map, if that’s helpful:
(I don’t why Koltsovo is so large here but this is the only one I could find that was labeled for noncommercial reuse. But hey, now you can impress people by telling them you know where Novosibirsk and Koltsovo are! Lucky you!)
I’m fortunate enough to be here as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University. Just to clarify, this isn’t a job — I’m here to learn just as much as I’m here to help out in English classes. It’s more like I’m here for post-graduate studies or a yearlong internship.
So ultimately what I’m getting at is that this blog will serve as my digital gratitude journal, where I’ll share the little bits of this massive experience that make me happy. And maybe whoever is reading this can glean something from what I write (or not — no pressure.). Maybe you’re interested in visiting Siberia. Maybe you’re thinking about applying to be a Fulbright ETA. Maybe your name is Betsy Bolan and you’d just like to know I’m alive and well.
Regardless, thanks for taking the time to read this far. I hope you’re having the kind of day that fills you up with gratitude. And if you aren’t, I recommend thinking about your next cup of coffee.