2006/2007

Happy New Year!!!

I realized that I didn't really make New Year's Resolutions at the beginning of 2006. The most I can remember is "Get a Real Job," which luckily I accomplished. I think that 2006 was an important year for me, but that may be because I'm at that age when life is moving so fast that a thousand things happen every year. In 2005, I graduated and moved to D.C. and had my first real important relationship, and that was all great. But in 2006, I actually had time to process what 2005 meant to me. Yes, I moved back out of D.C. and I ended that first serious relationship, but in a way I feel like things actually came together this past year. I was able to take the time to reflect on what I had accomplished since graduation, and my relationship with Mike changed how I view many things. I also had (and maybe am still having) a serious "know thyself" phase, with some interesting results.

I accepted this job in Qatar in February. January and February were miserable, not necessarily because I was in Mechanicsburg, but just because I realized how much I hate boredom. I am not someone who can sit around and do nothing for a day, let alone two whole months.

The time I spent in Pittsburgh was wonderful, living and reconnecting with Josh, meeting new people, seeing old friends... the job at the restaurant was fun, but a really great reminder of why I got that college degree. The job at the campaign was a good experience because everyone should understand what it takes to get a candidate elected, but it was also a reminder of why I want to do policy, and not politics. My visit to D.C. in July, although only one weekend, made me realize that if I am going to live in the U.S. for the rest of my life, it will be there. My highest goals are only achievable if I am living there or internationally, and besides that I just love the atmosphere of the city.

Moving to Qatar was a life-changing experience, as I knew it would be, and as I know it will continue to be. In the grand scheme of things, I have only had a little amount of time to process my time here, and the affect that this country has on me will probably be lifelong. I feel like I could spend all my time here writing letters to the editor of various American newspapers, trying to counteract all of the misconceptions about this part of the world that make it into print. Not only has Qatar itself opened my eyes, but the opportunities that I've had to travel from here to other parts of the world is probably the most significant aspect of living here.

Those recent travels... India, Oman, and Hong Kong. Three extremely different places, all with their own blog post (or, forthcoming blog post), so I'm not going to get into each one now. So, what is the one common factor in all three places? Unfortunately, that "stupid American" is an embarrassingly accurate description of so many U.S. citizens that I have encountered internationally. I cringe every time I hear my own accent, because I never know what words are going to come with it. I would love to make a New Years Resolution to single-handedly change the behavior of vacationing Americans, but that's probably not the most realistic goal.

And if that's not my New Years Resolution... here they are, somewhat more realistic, I think.
1) Save more money: Everyone here is done with grad school, or for some reason not at all worried about paying for it. Not this girl. I'm already behind on what I had planned to save, so even if I don't get caught up, its time to get back on track. This means controlling my spending in Doha and budget travel only. The Lonely Planet guides are my new best friend. Notice I don't say that I'm cutting out travel, although it is absolutely my biggest expense. The experiences of travelling are well worth the few more months of loan payments (and its good that I put that in writing, so I can go back to it when I'm paying off those loans in a couple of years!)

2) Healthy living: seriously, I make this resolution every year, and it always works for about 3 months, and then goes to hell. Its harder in Doha because vegetables are impossible to get in restaurants and expensive in the grocery stores. This resolution also includes working out, but I'm much more committed to that than I am to healthy foods. What can I say, I really like Dunkin' Donuts and Chicken McNuggets. But I've been ill too often since I've been in Doha (including currently), and it needs to stop.

3) Grocery stores, not restaurants!: This is a very important part of Resolutions 1 and 2, so it gets its own bullet.

3) The blog: I haven't been very good about updating, and as much as this is for my friends and family at home, its also kind of my journal while I'm here. I've observed a lot of cultural things while I've been here and most of it just hasn't made it into my blog, possibly because I'm afraid that my anthropological ramblings will bore the rest of you (well, some of you). But no more. You can skip something if its boring to you, I promise I won't be offended :-) And now that I have my own digital camera, I can keep up much better with the posts that require photos.

4) Continue the "know thyself" phase that I mentioned: I kind of like the introspective me. When I was in college, I loved my life, but I didn't have time to reflect on it. In between college and moving to Qatar, I had tons of time, but I didn't want to reflect on myself in the context of not having a job and struggling with whether or not to stay with Mike. Now that I'm here, I have the time and I'm secure enough in my job, living situation, friendships, etc. that I really enjoy thinking about what motivates me, and how I got to be the person I am. I hope that doesn't sound arrogant, its certainly not meant to.

5) More books, less TV: I think this one's pretty self-explanatory. Besides, there's not much on TV in English anyway.