Happy 1 year anniversary!

I just passed one year mark of being in this country. I arrived on the 18th of December and started the job on the 19th. It feels just like yesterday, when I was staying in a hotel and being totally disoriented about everything.

A lot has happened this year both sad and happy things, but it was probably one of the most exciting and enriching years of my life, and I am really lucky to be able to feel that way.

After a year, I feel much more confident about my work and hopefully a little bit about myself, too. There is still so much to learn at work, but I feel I have come a long way (reading my entry on Dec 22, 2008!!). I feel that I made myself an important part of the team and I am actively involved in planning activities for 2010. I managed to build relatively good working relationships with partner organizations that I work with. Based on lessons learned, I will try to improve my work next year.

I will be sending e-mail greeting cards to my friends, but I just want to thank all my close friends and family for your support and keeping in touch. Having you really gives me a sense of stability (when I am everywhere and nowhere). I am usually better at writing e-mails, but this year for sure I was slacking.... Hope you know that I am still thinking of you, though!

Wishing you all happy holidays. I will probably have more postings before the end of the year.

こちらに来てからもう１年って早いなー。去年、来たばかりの頃、何も分からなくて不安だったことを思い出すと何だか感慨深いです。今年は悲しいことも大変だったこともあったけど、総合して色々な経験もできたし、楽しくてすごく充実した１年だったと思う。来年もはもっと良くなるように、ポジティブシンキングで頑張ろう。

デリーの写真

ドサという南インドの食べ物。米粉でできたパリパリのクレープに潰したジャガイモを入れて食べる。スナックセットなるものを頼んだので、パラオライスやらココナツのチェトニーソースやら食べきれないほどついてきた。これで２００円くらい？美味しかった。
India Gate 独立の印の門。パリの凱旋門みたい。国会議事堂からの大きくて真っすぐの道にあります。

Delhi Trip

I am back from Delhi and had a fantastic time!

It was good to see my friend. It turned out that we haven't seen each other almost 9 years, but again it just felt so natural and did not feel the gap of the time at all. It was such a short visit (my flight was delayed by 3 hours by an unprecedented fog!!), but we did a lot. We of course focused on chatting, gossiping, catching up and analyzing the UN work etc. We slept on a same bed and stayed up late to talk until one fell sleep and woke up and talked again. I hang out with her children who are both teenagers and enjoyed my friend's great home Indian cooking. We talked while she was cooking and talked some more in a coffee shop and restaurants.

I did some shopping as well. We went to a craft/ artisan market where you can find crafts from all over India. It really shows the diversity of the country, and it was just full of beautiful things. I bought some inexpensive earrings made of clay and a small painting of lotus (I love lotus motif anything). We also went to a night market near her apartment where they sell incredibly cheap things. I bought a set of 6 coffee cups that cost something like 2 dollars....

Not so much on a sightseeing, but I at least saw the India Gate and the parliament building as well as some old victorian buildings from the colonial time (2nd photo). I will post more photos. I just had such a good time and already am planning a next trip. Delhi is large, has wide roads and seem very organized (at least the area that I saw).

リチャージ

今週は遊んでばかり。

家でご飯食べたかな〜。残業をあまりしなかったため、仕事がかなりビハインドになってしまったような気がする。しかも月曜は有休を取るため、来週はちょっと心配。仕事を休むベストなタイミングってなかなかないですね。そのせいでデリー行きも決めるまで１年もかかってしまい、あげくの果てに３日のみの旅程になってしまった。上司に良いわね〜と心底羨ましそうに言われた。

明日からデリーに行ってきます。初めてのインドなので、しかも大都会なので楽しみ。リチャージしてきます。

Making decisions in life

I had a chance to speak to my sister over the weekend. She was trying to make up her mind on a career change and going back to school. Life is full of difficult decisions. If you choose one, you have to give up or discard something else. That something could be what you are used to, is within the comfort zone or feel too scared to lose. There are certain things that you could redo or correct a path if the decision was not right, and there are others can't be undone unfortunately. We never know until we make the decision and live that life, but that decision could come with pain or certain costs as well. Life is just a series of small decisions as well as big life choices that could totally change our life. We have to be responsible and own up to what you decide.... I (and we all) face this challenge many times, and it is never easy. At the end of the day, we have to follow what makes us happy, which requires knowing ourselves well.

I am so proud that she is doing what she thinks right for her and I admire her courage.

Planning for holidays

I have been feeling a bit down lately. BUT today I got a visa to India (after 30 mins at a travel agency when they tried to use the manual credit card machine... don't think you have seen this low tech credit card hand swipe thingy...). Yes, I am going to Delhi this weekend to see a dear friend of mine that I have not seen for about 5-6 years. We planned our 3 days for eating, shopping and gossiping. That's all what girls need, isn't it?! ;) I am so excited. I have never been to India, so it will be great. She is cooking my favorite Indian dishes and we will go shopping for cute kuruti (Indian female shirt).

I am also planning a short trip over the new year probably within the country. I just need to fill my life with good happy things and wait till a storm pass....sigh. Dear friends, I will be here only another year, so you better start planning your trip!