2016 Year of the Whew!
Happy New Year’s Day to all! In Malaysia, we’re 13 hours ahead of you all, and living in the future! We had a great time going out on NYE with new friends and partied like it’s 2016 while getting stoked for the crazy year to come!
The year 2016 was the year of the traveller, for me. :
- Went to North Carolina for work to explore Raleigh for the first time in April
- Finished my tenure at Relay Foods, where I worked for 3 and 1/2 years as the Regional Market Manager for DC and Baltimore in July
- Travelled domestically with my mom to New York City (February), San Francisco (May), Bethlehem, PA, and Ocean City (both in August)
- Had an excellent beach trip for the second year running in Ocean City with great friends that I love in June
- Took 15 different flights, and yet take off and landing still freak me out!
- Other than airplanes I’ve travelled via ferry, slow boat, train, moped, in the back of a pickup truck, in stranger’s cars, and several public transit systems in major world cities and mostly didn’t get lost or lose anything!
- Travelled to 6 different countries: Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Malaysia
- Have seen orangutans, elephants, three types of monkeys, boar, monitor lizards, geckos, enormous spiders, water buffalo, jungle crows (I love crows), turtles, eels, rare butterflies, and dozens of other animals all outside of zoos and often in the wild.
- Visited Shinto, Taoist , Confucius, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim places of worship.
- Slept in over 20 hotels or other types of accommodations (I think the number is 23, but I might be missing one or two!)
- Met my new friend Sage, Chris and Karen’s little guy, and became overjoyed to learn another best friend, Lindsey, is expecting in July! The clan is growing and I can’t wait to be home to hug you and your kids!
- Started learning French again! (it’s the little things)
In 2017, we plan to go to about 15 countries, including a few places I’ve been before. Travel will definitely be the majority focus of the new year. If all goes according to plan we’ll have visited 4 continents and swam in the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic ocean, along with the South China and Mediterranean seas, and have volunteered in several countries working on farms and doing other odd jobs for room and board. Adventure will probably win the word of the year award. Let’s see if that prediction sticks!
When I think about what’s coming up for my fellow Americans in 2017 I am not hopeful. You thought 2016 was bad… ha! Watch what 2017 has in store. The year will be rough whatever your political flavor is, because things are going to change and our anger is not going to dissipate. I’m resolved to be more tolerant of others, even when it hurts, and try to find the common ground. I love America and I want us to work this thing out. I will tell you people here in Malaysia at least seem hopeful for the US that our economy will flourish. Glad someone thinks we’re doing OK!
Have a great 2017 everyone and a happy New Year’s Day! Love and hugs!