Merry Christmas: A Christmas at Home

2016....A year full of madness, pure happiness, and personal growth.

 "There are outlaw maps that lead to outlaw treasure and I love those maps especially. Unwilling to wait for mankind to improve, the outlaw lives as if that day were here. And I love that most of all."

It's silly, but I feel like 2016 is jinxed. In fact as I started applying for jobs in October, part of me hoped I wouldn't be offered anything until the new year, just because my superstitions had kicked in.

Personally, this year has, in a way, been one of the best I have ever had. In other ways it has been completely complicated and horendous.

I started out the New Year in snowy Czech Republic, singing "The Weight" in Czech among random strangers. If that wasn't a signal to what the year would be I don't know what was. Christmas was a fantastic magic wonderland of markets, mulled wine, delicious beer, and cultural exploration with new friends. The theme for the year was quickly decided upon as "Outlaw Maps" as I read "Still Life With Woodpecker" on my trip, and completed a hike on New Years Eve.

After returning to work I began the monotonous lifestyle of coming home and completing online coursework to begin the steps to renew my teaching license.

In late March I took a 2 week trip to Turkey, which exceeded my expectations in so many ways. Turkey is a high priority for the future as there is so much left to explore. It greatly changed my opinion of the "Middle Eastern" part of the world. I'm keen to explore other parts of the Middle East.

I finished out the spring with a few weekends of relaxation on the beaches of Montenegro, and made a quick 5 day weekend trip to Slovenia, which also needs far more attention. The natural beauty of this tiny country is astounding to me.

Summer 2016 brought forth a true dream: 6 full weeks of non-stop travel. The most I had ever travelled prior to this was 3 weeks, and that involved staying at my friends house in between portions. This is no-where near the full 6 month- a year dream I have, but it gave me a true taste for what life on the road was like. Between exploring castles, historical walking tours, couch surfing meet-ups and hikes I found time for simple pleasures such as a good cup of coffee, a good beer, and a few days hanging on the couch of a random hostel.
In summation:
Lithuania: concerts in gardens/ drunken nights/ waffles in the morning
Latvia: solid conversations at the train station, excellent underground pubs
Estonia: street art/ midnight sunsets/ so many tours!
Poland: historical tours/ new friends/ Mountains
Slovakia: I am so fricken tired/ old woman on a speed train
Hungary: no sleep, couchsurfers
Croatia: traveling with parents, I love Montenegro and miss my bed.

I woke up in a complete panic attack my first night back in my bed. After careful contemplation I decided to set some new goals: Mainly, to immerse myself in my school's curriculum in order to grow professionally and to explore the nature around me. I was pretty successful and spent quite a few weekends hiking and/or camping in the nearby mountains. This was all thanks to some new friends I made. How lucky am I ?

I also had the pleasure of attending a professional development seminar in Vienna, which helped me a lot in my ability to implement the school curriculum, and to better assess my students to ensure continued education and personal growth.

I had a short weekend getaway in Belgrade in late October, and began the job search in November. I love living in Tivat and have never been more happy than I am right now. But I also know what is out there career wise, and social life wise. Now that I know who I am, and am happy and content with her, it is time for her to start finding the beat of city life, a job that allows for some more professional development and staff collaboration, and some money to pay off these never-ending student loans.

That being said I don't know where I'll be come July, but for now I'm heading home for my first Christmas in the USA since I left. I'm still feeling a bit nervous about going "home" and having a real home to return to, rather than a home of 2 suitcases and a backpack. I can't wait to partake in my family traditions, get in some good live music, and hug my family and friends.

Here's a little reminder of Christmas from afar:

Thanks to all who have been there to celebrate with me and make me feel loved at the holiday time, and welcome 2017 and the new friends, cities, and experiences you will bring. I am looking so forward to it :)

And since we started the year with a Tom Robbin's quote we shall end there as well: "There is always the same amount of good luck and bad luck in the world. If one person doesn’t get the bad luck, somebody else will have to get it in their place. There’s always the same amount of good and evil, too. We can’t eradicate evil, we can only evict it, force it to move across town. And when evil moves, some good always goes with it. But we can never alter the ratio of good to evil. All we can do is keep things stirred up so neither good nor evil solidifies. That’s when things get scary. Life is like a stew, you have you stir it frequently, or all the scum rise to the top." 

So, Stir it Up!