In January, I:
- Got a tattoo - Hooray!
- Kept up my routine of working out 3x per week. In January, I (re-)tried a new Saturday morning yoga class that I love. A new kick boxing teacher started at our gym. He knows our names and is very quick to call us out on being slackers, so that is helpful/the worst thing on the planet. Simultaneously, of course. Also, some of the teachers started getting together to play flag football a bit, which initially caused me a lot of pain due to the fact that football involves lots of running/changing directions, but is now much more fun.
- Kept up 1x per week phone dates with friends. While I don't talk to all my friends every week, I do talk to several friends each week, thus being able to keep up with most of them every two weeks or so.
- No more than 1x per week solo coffee date. I think this is the biggest accomplishment of January because it involved saying no (at least once!) to Starbucks AKA land of happiness, which has since been left behind in Argentina, not to return to my life until I get near gate D10 at Miami International in June. So, you know, will power - for the win!
- Re-visited my goals.
- Figured out how much money I need to save in the next six months to meet my goal of how much I wanted to save each year in Colombia.
- Tried 1 new local beer - Quilmes in Argentina. Which is actually terrible, but hey, now I know.
In February:
- Kelsi is going to get accepted to grad school in Boston so that we can start planning my visit there to coincide with fall in New England/her 30th birthday. Obvio.
- I'm going to treat myself to a lovely Valentine's date because this boy doesn't live here, so...self-love dinner date.
- I will update my professional development plan to renew my Wisconsin teaching license (back-up plan if I cannot find a Minnesota teaching job....).
- ????
How are your 2012 goals going? New Years resolutions? Do you still remember what they are??? ;)
4 comments:
YAY! Tattoos! So proud of us. And OMG - it is actually equally great/terribly that new kickboxing instructor knows are names.
Can't wait to start planning Boston trip - though - there is that little thing called WHY WOULD THEY ACCEPT ME! I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE! Let's hope they missed that on the application.
WHAT! You are treating yourself to a solo valentine date! That's great for you, but WHO IS SUPPOSE TO BY MY VALENTINE! Fine. You better not get dibs on Patillos though. Otherwise we will be awkwardly sitting across the restaurant from each other, come Feb. 14.
Also, I may need to do this, too. (See, I DO always copy you)!
Kristin,
Hello! :) I recently attended the UNI fair in Waterloo, IA and accepted a job offer with Colegio Bolivar in Cali. I've been reading about Cali, Colombia, and South America almost all day, and the more I learn about it, the more happy I am with my decision to go there! Are you by any chance also working at Colegio Bolivar? I ask because you teach 8th grade math, and I know that there was also an 8th grade math teacher hired which unfortunately would mean that I probably won't get the chance to meet you as you'll be leaving just as I'm arriving. I will be teaching 10th grade creative writing - an absolute dream for me, honestly. I began reading at the creation date of your blog, so I've only read up to September so far, but I wanted to let you know that I have thoroughly enjoyed what I've read so far. You are a very good writer, and I was doubly impressed being that you teach math because I, unfortunately, am not very good at math, and have always wished to be good at both. I've found the photos you've included in your posts to be alternatively beautiful, informative, breathtaking, and educational. I really hope you don't mind that a complete stranger is reading what you probably intended to keep as a personal blog to keep in touch with family and friends. I would love to pass the link on to the other new teachers as well, if you wouldn't mind. It is just so neat to be able to read about what your experience was like before I'll be making the move myself.
Sending you some real-life karma points,
Jean Marie
P.S. I too am from Minnesota! :)
Hey Jean, Thanks for your nice comments! I do work at Bolivar. That is great that you are planning to work here next year, although as you assumed, I am in fact leaving to head back to Minnesota at the end of the school year. I hope you find my experience helpful to read about, although as I am sure you can tell, this blog is more about my experience and feelings and does not attempt to be all encompassing on what it is like to move, live and work abroad in Colombia. Please email me with any other questions if you have them along the way!
Kristin
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