2008 (from my good friend ace)

1. Where did you begin 2008?
On the road between Miami Beach and Reno with my mom and Ozzie. I believe we were staying the night at a hotel in Mobile, Alabama on New Year's eve.

2. What was your status by Valentine's Day?
Invited.

3. Were you in school (anytime this year)?
Informally, you bet.

4. Did you have to go to the hospital?
Yes, I accompanied a friend with diabetes to a Romanian hospital. It's a night I will never forget.

5. Did you have any encounters with the police?
About four months ago, I was putting posters up around town to get the word out about an electronic recycling campaign a friend was organizing. All the posters I had were in Hungarian, but all the police here are Romanian, so when a police man saw me putting up a Hungarian sign, he asked me why I didn't have any posters in Romanian, that way everyone could understand. I tried to explain to him that I was just helping and didn't know why and he immediately recognized me as the foreigner I am and gruffly shook my hand and told me good job, but next time to request Romanian posters, too. I said ok.

6. Where did you go on vacation?
Sighisoara, the Apuseni Mnts, Campalung Moldovanesc, Targu Mures, Okland, Turda, Onesti, Miercurea Ciuc, Brasov.

7. What did you purchase that was over $500?
I sold my car.

8. Did you know anybody who got married?
Uh...not that I know of.

9. Did you know anybody who passed away?
Yes.

10. Did you move anywhere?
Yeah. Romania.

11. What sporting events did you attend?
A soccer game in Ploiesti and a hockey game in Miercurea Ciuc. The first had free obnoxiously yellow hats and the second had awesome tasty hot tea.

12. What concerts/shows did you go to?
A few just before I left. My favorite was probably a Holland Project show featuring the Juvinals and Panic Opera. There was also an orchestra concert in Ploiesti during training with a fantastic rendition of the 1812 overture. A couple other little classical concerts here and there. I miss shows alot.

13. Where do you live now?
Sfantu Gheorghe

14. What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2008?
Organize a drama club

15. What has/have been your favorite moment(s)?
Please refer to the past 10 months of entries.

16. What's something you learned about yourself?
I have an embarrassingly horrible memory, but people still seem to like me.

17. Any new additions to your family?
No, but a close friend back home just had twins and I can't wait to meet them!

18. What was your best month?
I guess December. The drama club put on its first production and that felt pretty awesome.

19. What music will you remember 2008 by?
Antelope and Tom Waits.

20. Made new friends?
More than ever before.

21. Favorite Night[s] out?
Each night at In Service Training was pretty fun.

22. Any regrets?
I regret not being naturally talented at learning languages.

23. What do you want to change in 2009?
Enjoy more, stress less

24. Overall, how would you rate this year on a scale of 1-10?
6.5

25. What would you change about 2008?
Losing touch with lots of people back home...but I guess that's inevitable.

26. Other than home, where did you spend most of your time?
On a train, bus, or maxi taxi.

27. Have any life changes in 2008?
Whatever changes happen when you move to a foreign country.

28. Change your hairstyle?
Actually, it's back to where it was last year at this time, though it went fairly long and very short in between.

29. Get a new job?
PCV!

30. Do you have a New Year's resolution?
Usually I don't do resolutions, but this year I'm going with reading more, eating healthier, exercising more, traveling more, and stressing less.

31. Did anything embarrassing?
Yes. Lots.

32. Buy anything new from eBay?
I helped a colleague decipher his purchase of golf balls. That was my first and last interaction with the site.

33. What was/were your favorite purchase[s]?
My felt bags, woven scarf, and honey pot from my favorite craft shop. And all the little trinkets I got to send back home.

34. Get married or divorced?
Or neither.

35. Get arrested?
No. But, I did go through the security at Frankfurt airport twice in one day, which felt pretty much the same.

36. Be honest - did you watch American Idol?
No. I did watch one episode of Romanian Idol, though.

37. Did you get sick this year?
More than ever before, except the time that I had the chicken pox. I didn't barf this year though, which is nice. I've just had lots of little tummy troubles. Nothing too severe.

38. Start a new hobby?
Romanian and maybe cooking. Still obsessed with easy crossword puzzles. Please send me some.

39. Been snowboarding?
No.

40. Are you happy to see 2008 go?
Happy and surprised it's already over. How quick a year can go.

41. Drank Starbucks in 2008?
I had one Starbucks in Philadelphia. It was the first day of staging and we had some time before the session started, so we all thought we'd go to the Liberty Bell and along the way, we stopped by Starbucks. I really needed coffee and just let go of my pride and convictions for five seconds in order to wake up and not make everyone wait while I hunted down a local place. So shoot me.

What are you wishing for in 2009?
Peace. In Reno. In Romania. On Earth.