Just NB

This song came on today while I was driving and I fell in love with it. It made me think of our first kiss (in the parking lot of a cheesy restaurant about four days after our first date) and everything after. Before "us", I thought that I had to be some kind of perfect version of myself to be in a relationship. I planned to not date for a really long time, until I had reached a place where I felt like I, "had it together". The truth is, NO one has it together 100% of the time, and if I met someone while I was in my imperfect state...well even better because, 1) No one is perfect, and 2) If he can love me with all of my imperfections, then we can really talk business. Business of building a family with a strong foundation, a solid core, and an infinite number of opportunities for the future. I wish I could see it like that all of the time...but I have to admit I have my moments where I think that he is all too good for me. Although.....if I were to make a li...

I am typing this from Reunion. I am sooooo tired. I am drinking a glass of champagne. Life is very good.

I finally learned another fabulous fact about the women’s washrooms. The toilet seats are always broken and the floor is always wet because some Malagasy women prefer to stand ON the toilet itself and squat. Our laundry service is broken. I don’t know how a Laundry SERVICE gets broken, but ours is. Not sure if this means I’ll fly home with dirty laundry … wearing dirty laundry. I can’t figure out how to call Belgium from Madagascar. I’ve googled, I’ve asked for help, and nothing is working. Today, after one year and 15 days I got my business cards. Now I can look officially important. I had a really good weekend. Not a great weekend, but a really good weekend. Something tells me next weekend will rock. I’ll put up pictures of the Sunday Canal trip sometime this week. I have started crossing off the days of the calendar with red “X”s. It looks like I’m counting down a prison sentence. Lastly, I think it’s pretty obvious that I have been here six weeks. My patience today, on a scale of 0...

Lately, I have started to write a few blog posts...and never finish them. In the last little bit I've received some...backhanded remarks about my blog. Nothing major... Basically, the fact that I choose to make my crazy thoughts public knowledge makes me a target for people to judge my them. That's all fine and great...but sometimes it makes wanting to blog difficult. And I find myself thinking about what the negative-people will think about what I write. And then I remember that one of the things I always talk about is learning to care LESS about what people think of me. It's something I've struggled with since forever. I think the blog - along with some of the choices that I've made in the little bit - serves practical life lessons on how to do this. I continue to do/say things that I want to do and maybe it provokes some reactions or judgements. I'm not really responsible for those reactions...so I don't have to deal with them... Well, when I say it so ...

Well, my ear/sinus infection is now on the mend and now I just have cold-like symptoms. And for that...I am grateful. Yep, you read correctly. I have been struggling with personal and expat issues more than I realized. Since I'm incredibly impatient, I kept thinking that all of my feelings around any stress in my life should magically disappear in oh...a day. Two max. Now, I'm beginning to see that adjusting to any change takes time. During this adjustment process, I am significantly more emotional than normal. And....I'd like the majority of my co-workers/acquaintances to not think that I go home at lunch and have a quick cry session - so having this cold, works perfectly....'cause it just looks like I'm all stuffed up (and I know that I'm publically putting this out there which may give away my secret, but according to my Google Analytics, there are only 7 people in Madagascar that read this blog. For those people...thanks for keeping my secret!) During said l...

Just got back into Tamatave this morning. On my To-Do List (apart from the normal stuff like...get my butt back to work, etc): 1. Go through about eight thousand pictures of elephants, giraffes, impalas, lions, crocodiles, zebras, etc. 2. Accept that I'm living the life of an expat for at least another year and a bit. After that, who knows? Planning further ahead than that...isn't an option right now. I'd also like to learn how to remember how to appreciate the expat life like I did when I first started. And keep in mind that the crappy parts just make the great parts seem all the much better.

There are only a few days of 2009 left...and since I haven`t really been blogging (but have really missed it!) I thought I`d make a list of 9 things that occured in my life during 2009 (although really - a more appropriate number would be 19...) 1. I went to Los Cabos for the first time. I didn`t like that part of Mexico – or the company that I went with (said company was subsequently eliminated from my life). 2. I failed Advanced Financial Accounting...for the second time. Or is it the third time now? I`ve lost track, I think...I don't know...I don't do numbers. ;) 3. I went on a girl’s trip to Las Vegas. Enough said. (Ok...we were behaved...but only because one of us got knocked up before we left.....ahem...) (The t-shirts had to be edited posting...well...because they did. :O ) 4. I changed jobs – I went from a fairly every day routine job – into one that challenges me like I never thought a job could. I have hard moments...hours...days... but I absolutely love it . ...

Haven’t had much to say the last couple of days, but I wanted to post something after the post about the security issues. (And I won’ t have any more security updates until a big meeting next Friday). So here are a few random update points: 1. I have a new neighbor! The house that I live in is divided into four different units, with all units sharing a central foyer area. Its been basically empty since I’ve been here except for me and the other Canadian. Yesterday this girl (who I’ve met a few times and I think she is SO NICE) moved in. She is… just over 30 I think. WOO HOO!! Another girl in camp and another girl under the age of 50!!! She is no longer allowed to live in her own house by herself since the security incident, so she got to come and live with us! She brought so much stuff – our house is actually starting to look like a house and not a hotel! It make me realize that I really need to do more decorating in my unit….Pictures and all that other decorating junk. 2. I’m g...