Reflections: Top 10 of 2011

Senatesquare in Helsinki all snowed in.

The cool thing about having a blog is that it becomes a life chronicle of sorts and when you want to reflect on something you simply look up the date and waaaaa laaa photos, thoughts, etc. (Confession: sorry, not every experience is on my blog, duh!) For me, life reflection is something I enjoy. Past experiences (both good and bad) shape who you are at this present moment. Some prefer to let go of the past, which I understand--especially the bad memories--but, I like to cherish and learn from them. Here we go:

Top 10 Highlights of 2011:

1.) Love: Did I tell you that I have a superboyfriend? He is amazing and he never ceases to amaze me with his love and commitment. In 2011, he resigned his job, sold many of his worldly belongings, and moved to Europe, so that we could both experience a life together in a foreign country. Certainly, it has not been without it's challenges, but it has all been worth the moving hell we went through to get here. 

House of the Estates, Helsinki.

2.) PhD "Candidacy": In January I defended my comprehensive exams and officially became "ABD" (all but dissertation). This is very hard to believe, as my first year was so challenging I thought I would be a PhD drop-out, but here I am a 4th year PhD Candidate collecting data for my dissertation in Finland. Awesome!

3.) Fulbright, fulbright, fulbright! Ah, the fabulous letter that came in early April notifying me that I was selected for a Fulbright grant--a dream come true. And, here we are in Finland...living the Fulbright dream. (Pinch me!)

Winter time in Helsinki.

4.) Death: one of my dear professors fought a long and hard battle with cancer and finally found peace in May. He taught me so much, but mostly he reinforced my love for experiencing life through travel and positive attitude.

5.) Health: this year has not been my healthiest. Some pesky little parasites from Costa Rica hitched a ride into the U.S. by way of my colon, which resulted in about two months of hell.  In addition, since September I have been battling discomfort in my esophagus and I still do not have resolution with the Finnish doctors diagnosis. It has all made me realize that health is a precious thing not to be taken for granted. (No blog post on this latest health impairment, but let me just tell you there has been a stool sample and BIG female Baltic Doctor involved...more on this later.)

More Helsinki.

6.) Travels: a year would not be complete without planes, trains, and automobiles. This year I visited 12 countries including Costa Rica (again), South Africa (again), Canada, Hungary, and Norway.

7.) Friends: the biggest joy in traveling is the shared experience that you have with others. Costa Rica was with Charlie and a group of amazing UGA students, South Africa with a group of amazing UGA colleagues, in Norway I met up with all of my favorites still living in Oslo (Kristi, Jason, Shane...), and in Brussels, I spent four days living with my former and favorite Brazilian roommate.

Little kids with sleds...YEAH!

8.) Family: in April my parents, sister, and brother visited us in Athens, Georgia. It was so nice to show them where I have been living the past three years. Then, in August I spent almost a month in Colorado--lots of family quality time! Charlie and I also visited his parents in Ohio and spent July 4 in Chicago with his brother and nephews.

9.) Finland (again): I have rediscovered my love for this country, the culture, the Finnish sauna, the forest, and YES, cold-water lake swimming. I feel like we are much more immersed into the local culture, than when I lived here in 2007. Our Finnish friends and colleagues Ilkka, Terhi, David, Jussi and our adopted Finnish family have all shown us the true Finnish spirit and we are so appreciative of the intercultural experiences.

10.) Positive vibes...what more do you need in life?