2009 Recap

2009 has been a year of change.  BIG changes.  Here are a few:

-  I finally took that HUGE first step to my longtime dream of living and working abroad.  I left Chicago - the city where I attended college, had my first job, realized I was capable of passing out from drinking, had my first real job, fell in love, and became a Chipotle burrito bol junkie - and moved to Bangkok, Thailand - the city of smiles.

-  I traveled to Los Angeles and Napa with my family.  Wonderful vacation.

-  I traveled to Tokyo (a city I had been DYING to visit for the longest time), Taiwan, and the beautiful island of Boracay in the Philippines.

-  In Boracay, I discovered a love, albeit an expensive one, for jetskiing.

-  I went to a gay club.

-  I went to a gay strip club.

-  I moved into a 1-bedroom apartment with my boyfriend.

-  I've become dependent on street food for my daily meals.

-  I finished a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) course and, through it, have realized that teaching is something I can really pursue as a long-term career.  Finally, some direction!

-  I got my first English teaching job and will be starting in a couple of weeks!

-  I traveled to the province of Krabi and the beautiful Phi-Phi islands in the south of Thailand.  Wonderful.

-  In Krabi, I canoed and went elephant trekking for the very first time.

-  While canoeing, I screamed and swore at several monkeys hanging on tree branches for fear of them jumping on my canoe and biting me.  I never thought I'd ever scream and swear at a monkey... but I did.

-  I made the big leap from books to electronic book readers when I bought the Kindle.  I haven't completely converted (I don't think I ever will), but it's been a refreshing change from the way I usually read.

-  And, of course, I started this blog, and even though I haven't been doing an excellent job of updating, it's been a pleasure writing on it and being more immersed in the wonderful world of blogs.

I'm ready for more change in 2010.  Bring it on!  :)