Saturday, February 1, 2014

2014 Annual Goals Update

2014 Resolutions:

12.  Lose 10 Kilos.  

Whoops, I gained 1.5 kilos.  Holiday season, winter, and all that.  Soon enough!
11.  Do 1 Pay-it-Forward/random act of kindness each month

10.  Improve my Turkish seriously
I had a dream that I was on a turkish TV gameshow with my Turkish friend. I had AWESOME Turkish in that dream.  Does that count? ;-)

9.   Improve my French seriously
8.   Pass 2nd Arabic course/ Continue to improve Arabic seriously
7.  Watch 1 documentary/historic film per month (12 total)

January- Jerusalem: Center of the World (recommend- shows the beautiful architecture and features scholars from each of the three main religions present in the city.  Discusses history, sites, and traditions)

6.  Learn to cook 12 new things
Afghan Samosas

Turkish Coffee

Polish Salad



5.  Read 120 Books (priority for non-fiction)


COMPLETED:
1.  Lipstick Jihad:  A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America by Azadeh Moaveni (Recommend- great exploration of being bi-cultural, not quite fitting in anywhere, and all the issues that plague Iran.)
6.   The Hiding Place by Elizabeth & John Sherrill (highly recommend)
8.  Sweden- Culture Smart! by Charlotte DeWitt
9.  The Swedish Secret: What the United States Can Learn from Sweden's Story by Earl Gustafson
10.  Culture Shock! Sweden by Charlotte Svensson
12.  What Happened to Sweden?  While American Became the Only Superpower by Ulf Nilson (highly recommend.  honest commentary, great voice- really a pleasant read in terms of a history book.  short, sweet, and informative).
13.  Swedish Lessons:  A Memoir of Sects, Love, and Indentured Servitude. Sort of.  by Natalie Burg (a bit crass, but a funny story)
15.  Of Swedish Ways by Lily Lorenzen (includes some folk songs and proverbs- nice)
17.  Kids of Kabul by Deborah Ellis  (I didn't like this compilation of stories as much as the volume she did for Iraqi children, but still worth reading).
18.  Untold:  A History of the Wives of the Prophet Mohammed by Tamam Kahn (interesting, but a little annoying- includes poetry the author wrote in addition to the biographies of the women)


4.  Volunteer abroad with children for at least a week.
3.  Go see three new countries:  Sweden, Morocco, __________.
In Sweden!!!


2.  Take 12 great photos.
1.  Add 1 layout to art journal per month (12 total). 

Eeeep.  Running a bit behind with this one, too.

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