Fresh Thoughts For 2012

2011 came and went in a flash.

The last few months seemed like a race - each day was a marathon and I was not trained up to take it! After resolving that 2012 would be my year to really be healthy, I started the year with a hideous cold and lost voice, no doubt as things finally slowed down a bit and my body gave itself permission to be ill (I was not consulted). Still, better now and getting started on 2012 in force ... just a little late.

This week wraps up the writing class I have been teaching at the local university. You may remember that I thought this would be fun and interesting to do - and I can say that it has definitely been interesting and eye-opening. During a season when the university as a whole is campaigning for academic excellence, my class grades have enjoyed the active involvement of the administration, and the final projects were cancelled in favor of a multiple choice test. For a writing class. When I am back in NE in March, stop me and ask me more about that - it's a nice bit of local drama that helped eat all my spare time in December.

When the class is over, what will I do with my extra time? Write, naturally, but also explore. This summer will mark one of the major turnovers in Cuenca - we have multiple friends who are leaving and they are all bemoaning that they haven't seen enough of Ecuador. So we are resolving that we will cross more places off our list. Over the Christmas break, I got to see a number of the outlying towns, some major Inca ruins, and the coast of Ecuador (ocean at last!). This year, I want to see more of the coast and some of the museums here in the city, since the exhibits rotate and I should probably do more than just ignore them.

Packing in touristic activities locally will help warm me up for the year as a whole - I have five big trips planned and am sure some little ones will get tucked in there, too. I laugh that I'm approaching them as "travel at last!" trips - because you know I just haven't done any traveling in the last few years :-)

Here's to a new year, starting late for me but certainly underway. How's your new year going?