Happy New Year!

According to the ancient Mayan calendar, the world will end on December 21st, 2012. Apparently there’s going to be an apocalyptic flood to wipe out all of humanity. While it sounds like something out of a Steven Spielberg film, it’s funny to see papers from newsstands around the city with headers like, “How Will You Spend Your Last Year on Earth?”

I read one of these papers on a commute one day, and I was really surprised with what people had said. Nobody wrote that they wanted a billion dollars, or to own ten BMW’s, but rather people wanted things that are attainable…like to quit their jobs and travel, or to get a divorce, to see their friends more, to find love. There’s really nothing stopping us from being happy…we put these limitations on our own lives. So while the world isn’t ending in 2012, let’s live everyday like it’s the last.

Here’s to a new year full of traveling and adventures. Here’s to a new year to make our dreams happen. Happy 2012 everyone! “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice.” – T.S. Eliot

January 2012 will also mark the one year anniversary of this blog, and in a year, it’s definitely come a long way. As of today, I have 134 followers, and countless more subscribers, a total of 158,349 page views, 492 blog comments, and readers from all parts of the world. None of this would be possible without you guys…so thank you! 🙂


Lastly, the new year isn’t complete with a set of resolutions and a to do list. 2012 will be an eventful year  as I’ll finally be graduating uni and moving abroad. Here’s my list below. What’s on your list?


My 2012 to-do list & resolutions

• Graduate uni and receive my BA degree this spring! Can’t wait!

• Move to Europe this fall. I’ll either be moving to Germany in September if I get the teaching position (fingers crossed!) or the UK on a holiday working visa in October. 

• Apply for international grad schools this summer for September 2013. I’ve already started looking for programs I like and have found some in Germany. I’ll most likely do my Masters in International Relations, or something in that field. 

• Pay off my student loans by the end of September. This should be possible….hopefully I can find a part-time job at a sports bar during the summer as well so I don’t miss out on watching the Euro Cup and the Olympics!

• Work on a collection of art this summer so that I’ll have an art portfolio to bring with me to Europe.

• Continue going to the gym at least 5 times a week. My gym routine has been going well for the last few months…

• Work on this blog. I know whenever I’m busy I tend to neglect this blog, but in the new year, I’m going to try to post at least one entry a week, if not more. Especially since I will be traveling a lot this year, I’ll have more to post about. I also want to change the direction of this blog…right now, it’s a bit scattered with random “top 10” lists and scattered posts about travel. I might try to make it into a more personalized travel journal by the end of the year, and share more stories about my life abroad…

• Become fluent in German. It’s definitely become a lot better this year through my intermediate German course at uni. If I get the teaching position in Germany, I think I’ll definitely be a lot more comfortable speaking it.