Slumdog Millionaire and other weekend fun

Yesterday I went to see Slumdog Millionaire with a friend. I might feel especially tied to this movie because of my recent travels to India- but I absolutely loved the film. It was a representation of India that we, as Americans, aren't often shown. The gritty under-belly of a dirty, old, over populated city and a look at how the people in slums live. It is definitely a must see given all of the Oscar buzz. And, trust me, what you see of India is how it is: the crowding, the dirt, the begging children.

Afterwards I had dinner at friends and went out to a bar here in Bloomington. I was feeling a bit old as it has been such a long time since I went out "drinking." There are a few people in this world who still bring out that side of me but for the most part, all that is part of my past. A past in which I had a world of fun!

Today I've been taking it easy and enjoying a day at home. I still have about 25 pages of reading to do for class this week. I've learned that I feel much better about the week ahead if I have completed my reading before the new week begins. I have found myself a bit more interested in the reading this week than last week- which gives me hope for this semester! Although, I am not convinced that studying education (Higher Ed and Student Affairs or International and Comparative Ed) is the right path for me.

Tomorrow I'll begin planning my two week work trip to the Middle East- Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and Jordan. Yes, I am excited about this trip, but I do wish I were going back to India. I guess I'll just have to wait until fall to get that fix again.

First blog of 2009!

So... I'm home. I've been home a little over a week and it has been a mixture of tears and hard work. Wow, that sounded lame. Let me explain. This was the hardest it has ever been for me to leave McKoy to come home. My two weeks down there was not perfect by any stretch. Two weeks staying with his whole family had it's challenges for someone who lives alone. And we fought, quite a bit actually, but I still love him all the same and maybe even more. So, there were a lot of tears from the time I left Montego Bay for about three days. Then, I had to go back to work. As soon as I got back to work, I was slammed with a million things going on. But, I guess it is good to stay busy. Anyway, this post isn't about that.

McKoy and I did a lot of fun things we had never done before thinking this might be my last trip for a very, very long time. There are some great memories. One of my favorites was laundry day! No big adventure to the beach, McKoy and I had a total blast doing laundry the old school way! I have another photo similar to this to hang on my laundry room door to remind me never to complain about having to put clothes in the washing machine! We also went to a place called the Pelican Bar which was a bar on a submerged sandbar about a kilometer out to see- so much fun! We were the first people there so we had the place to ourselves for about an hour before all the tourists started showing up. McKoy made friends with some German guys, we went snorkeling until I cut my foot on coral (reminded me of Betsy's incident in BVI) and wimped out.

I promised this would be short- even though I have so much more to say. This was an amazing trip, but the next time I see McKoy, I hope it will be here in the states. Maybe less than 3 months from now... that, would be my one wish for 2009.

I hope everyone had an amazing christmas & new year- no resolutions for me, I think I'll just focus on what it is that I love about my life right now.