The year in review

[ecuameg]

I had a sudden bout of inspiration for my dissertation at 230 am. I wrote 5 lovely pages and now I can't sleep. So, since it's that time of year, I got a little reflective, and was thinking about how great 2005 was. There was rough stuff, but overall, a really great year.
So, here are some of the best moments of 2005...and I know I'm forgetting a lot. And some of these are hard to explain, but feel free to ask if you're curious.

• Ernesto finally going home to his wife and daughter.
• Becoming a godmother again (despite my best efforts) to two amazing guys, and getting to share in their lives.
• Getting to live with my amazing roommate Geertje, who though she's only a few months older, is the kind of person I want to be when I grow up.
• Seeing many little girls (and some boys) enjoy the magical world of My Little Pony.
• Going to the beach with dozens and dozens of children, and managing to have a fun week where no one got hurt.
• Team Bob Esponja - learning the Spongebob theme in Spanish.
• Bonding with the priest I used to be scared of by trash-talking his soccer team.
• Going to soccer games with my boys. Watching them play soccer. Leading crazy soccer cheers.
• Playing the guitar and teaching some of the kids some new chords.
• Learning key Dutch phrases ( Lekker!) and getting to know (better) some great people from Holland.
• The unexpected joys of Colombia: meeting smart but down-to-earth people, midnight skinny-dipping in the Caribbean, swimming in the clearest water ever in Taganga, snorkelling las islas del rosario, and visiting the hometown of the one and only Carlos Vives.
• Safely weathering my first coup.
• Being with Natalia when her brother was born.
• Cangrejadas!
• Taking Andrea swimming and to her birthday wish...Burger King!
• Visits to kids' families in Esmeraldas & Santo Domingo.
• Being present at moments when I needed to be.
• My sister coming to visit and having my two parallel lives actually touch for a few days.
• Soaking in the volcanic baths while watching the sun set behind the Andes.
• Patacones y Pilsner at our favorite joint halfway up to the lighthouse.
• Pirate Bar! ARRRRRR!
• Dancing on the bar at TGI Friday's Guayaquil with representatives of Germany, Holland, and Ecuador, for a very international 4th of July.
• Having a Lord of the Rings movie day, and learning that Aragorn is equally beloved by Ecuadorian women.
• Baking cupcakes with Natalia. Taking her to Playland Park and Disney on Ice.
• Unexpected circumstances pushing me to do things I would never ordinarily do. (With unexpectedly pleasant results).
• Seeing Diego Torres in concert with Silvia.
• Taking my 'nieces' Carolina and Ruth out on their birthday.
• For once, getting negative HIV results, at the perfect moment.
• Assorted healthy babies being born.
• Having three of my godsons over and cooking for their birthdays.
• Seeing one kid take several steps towards his dream of becoming a doctor.
• Having kids trust me enough to confide in me when they needed advice, or just someone to listen to them.
• Getting goodbye letters from the kids that got me through the plane ride back to the US.
• Finding out that not only am I able to live alone, I actually enjoy it.
• Getting to team a retreat, and once again having to give a talk about what I most needed to learn.
• Working through some of the fear & anger about death and coming to a more peaceful place.
• The White Sox winning the World Series. (C'mon, I can't always be deep)
• Making new friends at a time when I thought I'd only be saying goodbye to the old ones.
• Unexpectedly getting to see old friends.
• CPPE!
• The moment when I realized I was going to survive the internship process.
• Turning 30 with a minimum of distress and a big outpouring of love
• My first extended family Thanksgiving (at least the first that I can remember)l
• My kitty being ok.
• The return of Chad.
• Looking forward to returning to Ecuador in less than 2 months!

Wow. That's not even all of it, and I kind of feel like the luckiest person ever right now.