Today, in an American supermarket, I saw Little Hugs fruit drinks and instinctively reached out to tap one fingernail against their foil caps, the sound and feeling transporting me to grade school. I also spent five minutes debating which baby kosher dill pickles to buy, and I took a picture of the deli counter because it had more meat than I remember seeing in one place in a long time.

There is so much meat.

Hello, Holidailies compatriots. It is traditional to introduce oneself at the beginning of Holidailies, so here goes: I am Halsted, and I am about to become a librarian, and I am visiting family in the States after a long time away. There are more facts about me in a long list. I also try to come up with three things I am grateful for each day, hence the “gratitude” bit at the end of each entry.

I have so much to tell you, but homework must take precedence for now.

gratitude: vanquishing jetlag · sharing a delicious home-cooked meal with family · starting on my very last grad school project