2009!

January comes in like a flash – even with the countdown of days to the celebratory turning of the new year – its still seems to surprise me somehow. “It’s 2009,” I say aloud to myself – to no one in particular.

It was 2007 when I got to this place. More than time has marked my transformation. Evolution is a curious thing. My physical appearance has not undergone any drastic changes – and really I’m still the same old me, but I’d like to think I’m a better version of myself now because of my experience here. But, ah, my time is not yet up, so why you may ask am I reflecting on how this experienced has changed me. I have lots of time you see, and reflection is a continual process. This is just one of many reflections – and I find comfort in expressing myself in a New Years Resolution atmosphere.

Last night (New Years Eve) I was standing in Lenin square – enveloped in a fervor of excitement. Fireworks and sparklers were erupting in every direction – and the ones far off were backlighting Lenin who seemed to be the only thing standing still in the middle of it all. I let myself get carried away with the spirit of the place and the time and opened all my senses to the pure joy of it all. Adrenalin and champagne held back the cold, and in the chaos I felt so present, so alive, so home in a city I had grown to know and love over the past 15 months.

Some days I have no problem sleeping ten, eleven hours, then waking up and reading the day away. Lately I’ve been needing to finish books quickly; it’s an obsession almost. I feel like I’m running out of time and yet…I can’t stop procrastinating. I lose myself in books, in bazaar hunts, in cooking elaborate meals for one, in mundane everyday tasks – and yet in these escapes I find something satisfying. A feeling of productivity.

My New Years Resolutions:
1. Study Russian 1 hour every day
2. Exercise /Yoga
3. Work on my Thesis and other papers 4 days a week
4. Stop being the Junk Food Queen and Drink More Water
5. Learn more about the history and keep up with Central Asia Current Events

I think that’s a good start. I could write a resolution list that would fill a whole page, but that’s not realistic is it?