Apparently this is my 8th annual list of things to be thankful for, which means it’s been 8 years overseas, wow!
1. The last 8 years – I have been truly blessed to see so many parts of the world and meet all these incredible people. I have the best friends ever (those of you I met longer than 8 years ago are included too) and am so grateful to be able to call several parts of the world “home”
2. John Bonsignore –I am eternally grateful for 30+ years he was part of my life. His sarcasm, storytelling, writing, and techniques for getting through tough times (including issues with authority figures) are all part of who I am now. I will miss the laughter he brought to my life and will try to emulate the love he lavished on the people in his life.
3. Seeing a leopard – it was on my wish list last year and I finally saw one during my mom’s visit this year
4. The guardian angels coming back – I had a run of bad luck this year with black eyes, bag snatching, shoot outs, several broken iphones, etc. but I’ve definitely felt a shift and I no longer feel “unlucky”.
5. New experiences and travel this year – Myanmar, Nigeria, Ngorongoro crater (Serengeti, Tanzania), Aberdares, Amboseli, Lamu (all in Kenya), Spain (with a special shout out to Beth in Ibiza and Rachel in San Sebastian), and Turkey.
6. That I have another year in Nairobi – I felt obligated to make some big decisions this year about what was most important to me and ultimately the friends, house, lifestyle, routines and weather of Nairobi made staying here my top choice.
7. Kali – at a moment when I thought the world might be throwing more at me than I could handle, the vet called and said I needed to put Kali down (and that she was too “kali” (which happens to be kiswahili for vicious) to take her blood – without irony). But thankfully she pulled through and I’ve realized that she brings enormous amounts of purring and laughter into my life.
8. ESPN – I feel like this year has a rekindling of the love affair between me and US sports, probably because Kenya shows so many more American sports than I ever got to watch in India. A special shout out to MLB games being on when I get home from work and NFL games ending as I get up on Monday/Tuesday mornings.
9. That I’m employed, and I think I’m really going to like this new job! After almost 7 years of loving my job I was in a rut and needed a change. And after considering the alternatives, I also really like having a paycheck.
10. The opportunities and choices available to me. Every time I walk into a clinic and watch these women raising their children and keeping their heads held high in incredibly heartbreaking situations (whether related to abuse, poverty, HIV, etc.), I am reminded that I have everything I could ever need and really, really, really no right to complain.
