Flights taken- 14
Boats sailed- 5
Buses taken-6
Jobs- 7
Jobs Quit before intended- 3
Long-term homes- 5
Countries Visited- 6 (Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, Thailand)
Goodbyes said- too many to count
Exotic animals engaged with- 4 (tiger, kangaroo, wombat, whale shark)
Roadtrips taken-2
Hostels Stayed in-19
Languages attempted to learn/improve-5
Long-term Travel buddies-6
Churches attended- 4
Temporary Pets (places i lived had animals--i pretended they were mine)- 16
Tattoos designed- 1
Notebooks Used up-3
British/Aussie-isms Acquired- 8
Gotten Sick- 2
Cars owned- 1
Cars destroyed (sort of)- 1
Festivals/Holidays - 5
Volleyballs Owned-3
Major Cities visited-11
Movies Seen-8
But regardless of all the insanely fun/crazy/awesome/scary/overwhelming things I have done this year, the one I think is the craziest is that I have officially spent an entire calendar year away from my friends and family back home. Not having them around me for support when things got tough has been one of the most challenging things I've ever experienced. Yes, of course I can skype/call people when I need to talk. But sometimes....you just need a hug from your best friends or dinner made by your mom. So I have grown. I've got on, met new people, had incredible experiences and enjoyed (almost) every minute of this year. And yet, I continue to look forward to the day I head back. Not permanently (let's be honest, I'm not good at permanent) but at least for a while to be again with people who know me inside and out and can call me out on things I can hardly see myself. Back to not really the house or the country---but to the home. To the home created by loving family and friends who make every little thing seem important. Miss you all dearly. Thinking of you today as the clocks begin to change around the world.
May God bless and keep you this coming year. May you learn something new. May you go on an adventure. May you rise to a challenge. And may you love. May you love joyfully. May you love abundantly. May you love unexpectedly.
CHEERS! And a HAPPPY NEW YEAR!
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13
