Any Nou

Instead of making a list of New Years Resolutions I'm going to make a list of good intentions. Because, how many people actually keep their resolutions more than a month or two after the strike of midnight? This year has gone by in a flash. I remember the first day I arrived here and the other hundred and five things that happened in 08 like it were yesterday. And soon it will be over. All the more reason to make my good intentions last until this time next year.

You may be wondering what Any Nou is. It's pronounced, Ann- No more or less, and it's Catalan for New Year. Catalan is part of my list of good intentions.

- I want to focus a little more on Catalan instead of Spanish. Both are important to me in different ways but I feel I can really be successful in this language if I study it a bit more.

-To travel more if the budget allows. I'm off to go a good start by going to Bratislava for two days and then to the states for eleven. I love being in Europe and the places I most want to visit is Italy, Germany, Norway and Greece.

-Get back on track with school. This one is more of a must than an intention but all the same something I need to do. Taking a year off has been what I needed and I've had really great experiences because of it. In the fall of 09 I'd love to be enrolled in school. In the spring I want to get my TEFL certificate online.

-To cook more. I made dinner for thirteen people for Christmas. If I can do that, I can cook more dinners in the evening. Again, if the budget allows, I'd love to experiment with recipes and expand my knowledge of cooking.

-Keep in touch with my friends and family better. I did OK given the circumstances but I forgot a lot of birthdays, didn't write or call when I said I would and was just lazy. Part of me doesn't like to call because it's never the same, sometimes there can be akward moments and most of all it makes me incredibly sad that I'm not there. Usually I am very busy and the time difference doesn't help but my good intention is to send more emails and make more calls.

-Achieve. I worked incredibly hard, as did Joan, to get to where we are now. We have a long way to go but I want us to get there sooner. I must work harder, apply for more scholarships, grants, volunteer, teach more English, earn degrees and make more money.

Quite a list of intentions, isn't it? I don't feel pressure though, because they're just that-intentions.

I hope you all have a wonderfully happy any nou and have a list of your own to follow.