A Year Remembered

Holy guacamole Batman! Can you believe I’ve been in Korea for 1 year?!

I know it’s hard to believe! Part of me wonders if there is a cosmic space-time continuum thingy happening on this side of the globe, because, seriously? 1 year?!

It made me think of the song, ‘Seasons of Love’ from the Broadway production Rent:

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes

How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets In midnights, in cups of coffee In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes

How do you measure, a year in the life? How about love? Measure in love Seasons of love

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes Five hundred twenty-five thousand journeys to plan Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes How do you measure the life of a woman or a man?

In truths that she learned Or in times that he cried In bridges he burned Or the way that she died

It’s time now, to sing out Though the story never ends Let’s celebrate Remember a year in the life of friends

Measure your life in love

This songs makes me want to quantify the last year, and being a big fan of lists and all their glory, I did just that!

Books I read this year:

1. ‘The Brother’s K’ by David James Duncan
2. ‘Timequake’ by Kurt Vonnegut
3. ‘Middlesex’ by Jeffrey Eugenides
4. ‘The Last of the Really Great Wangdoodles’ by Julie Andrews
5. ‘The Last Time I Wore a Dress’ by Daphne Scholinski
6. ‘A Separate Piece’ by John Knowles
7. ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho
8. ‘Brinsger’ by Christoper Paolini
9. ‘Out of the Dust’ by Karen Hesse
10. ‘The Giver’ by Lois Lowry
11. ‘Gathering Blue’ by Lois Lowry
12. ‘Magyk’ by Angie Sage
13. ‘Wicked’ by Gregory Magquire
14. ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ by Kurt Vonnegut
15. ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee

And for about a year now, I’ve been slowly picking away at ‘A Peoples History of the United States’ by Howard Zinn. One day I’ll finish it, it’s just not the kind of book you get lost in is all...

T.V. show’s I’d never seen before, but kinda dig:

• American Idol
• The Mentalist
• Criminal Minds
• Sex in the City CSI : Las Vegas
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
• 30 Rock
• True Blood

Movies I saw that stuck out over the year:

• Avatar
• Perfume
• Alice and Wonderland
• How to Train Your Dragon
• The Reader

Songs I’ve learned on the guitar:

• ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz
• ‘No Pressure Over Cappuccino’ by Alanis Morisette
• ‘Between the Bars’ by Elliot Smith
• ‘A Little Less Conversation’ by Elvis Presley

Ways I’ve grown this year:

• Personal autonomy
• Professional development
• Financial freedom
• International travel
• Personal revelations and identity
• Cultural awareness
• Reconnected with long-lost friends
• Found inside myself a (sometimes) limitless reserve of patience

I definitely forgot some things I could add or make new lists about, but regardless, you can’t deny this was one hell of a year! A serious coming-of-age year! I got so much done, and still, it feels like I loafed about more than I’d like to admit!

And during the moments that things weren’t so novel and new, but frustrating as all get-out, thanks to everyone who supported me and spoke kinds words of encouragement. Even hearing about the mundane and ordinary things your life was comforting! There were some definite moments when I needed a good friend, and what do you know? I had 10 good friends! One time that comes to mind is when I called Sheena just to cry about how frustrating public transportation is while I was sick and stuck at the bus station for hours upon hours. Talk about a good friend!

I’ve mentioned my beloved cousin Adam before, the one who is serving his LDS mission, and in an email I sent him once I said that it’s kinda remarkable how being separated from the people I love and adore makes me feel even closer to them. It also does wonders for the ego. I learned that proximity only gives the illusion of control, and really, whether I’m in Kathmandu or Ogden, people get sick, people have birthdays, people grow close and apart, and proximity has little barring on any of it. It’s been so rewarding to continue developing important relationships that make my rather unremarkable life, well, remarkable.

So for that, and everything else, thanks for being apart of my journey.