Selamat Hari Natal!

Friends and Family,

I hope these words find you all in good health and spirits. Life just keeps moving like a roller coaster and I can’t tell from one day to the next when it will slow down, or whether I’ll be chugging up to the top, or screaming in joy to the bottom. I kicked off the 2013 year losing and finding myself on the streets of European cities with my brother. We spent time sipping wine in Madrid, enjoying beer in Belgium, drinking coffee in Amsterdam, exploring the monuments and partying in Germany (which is my favorite country ever) and sledding down the Swiss Alps. We managed to cram all this into about 12 days thanks to the awesome train systems, and our ability to survive on little sleep and espressos in between. Unforgettable. 

   

In the spring I was able to take a road trip to Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina with some fellow teachers and new friends. We spent our time on the coastline in Montenegro, and hiked to the top of a fortress. After exploring the history of Bosnia through a 10 hour tour in Mostar, and a far shorter tour of Sarajevo I was left with some sort of emotional attachment to the country. It has such a remarkable history that I never would have acknowledged if I hadn’t traveled there.

Montenegro

From January to May I continued to teach 1^st grade and began my final college course to receive my Masters of Education. I decided to begin applying for jobs in other countries, in hopes of expanding my experiences and advancing my career with professional development. I finished up my spring in Albania, traveling to Permet, Kosovo, and Berat, which included a rafting trip in the Osumi Canyon (amazing!) I ended my contract 3 weeks early to head back to the US and prepare to move to Indonesia, where I accepted a job, teaching grade 1 at a school called Royal Primary Academy.

Goodbye celebrations

Though my time in the states was short, it was precisely what I needed. I spent the greater part of it with family, drinking IPAs and eating all the food I had craved. While there I realized that someday, eventually, I hope to live back in the US, preferably in the Midwest near my family, but for now my explorations of this vast world continue. Also, no promises as my dreams seem to often change.

Beach time with my favorite kidos :)

I flew to Jakarta on July 1^st and began my new job on July 4^th. The job has been a lot more demanding than in Albania, but also far more advantageous to my professional growth. The adjustment to living in Jakarta was much easier, and I have made yet another great cluster of friends.

Friends!

I’ve done a bit of traveling around the city, and to a few trip to the Thousand Islands just off the coast. By far the best trip was to Jogjakarta, which is famous for holding the largest Buddhist temple in the world. Visiting all the temples and the surrounding nature helped me soak up a bit of the culture, though I have only skimmed the surface of all that is here.

Arjuna Temple 

As you can guess the last year of my life has been quite life changing in many ways. I’ve studied a lot and discovered many new things about myself, including a few things I realize will never change. I will always be a beer drinking, bluegrass loving, Packer fan, however, I continue to set goals and push my limits. So what’s next, you may ask. I’d love to answer that question, but cannot. Jakarta until July 2015 and then we will see.

Holiday Photo

“You cannot escape life however you may try. As long as you live, whether in a town or in a cave, you have to face it and live it. Real life is the present moment—not the memories of the past, which is dead and gone, nor the dreams of the future, which is not yet born. One who lives in the present moment lives the real life, and he is happiest.”

    

So I aim to live in the present, though, try as I might, is harder than it seems. There is so much left to discover about the world, and myself. So I’m trying to live by a few new ideas and philosophies:

In that last year I have been surrounded by beauty so many times, and I continue to appreciate how insanely lucky I am to be 23 and living out my dreams, with the incredible support from my friends and family, old and new.

This Christmas I will be traveling with some friends from Albania to Mount Bromo to watch the sunset at the top. Then we will head to the beaches of Bali, Lombok, and the Gili Islands. If you find yourself in the neighborhood of Southeast Asia stop by! We have an extra bed and a couch.

With all my love,
One very happy girl!