I returned to Thailand from the States about three days ago, and so far, it's been...weird. Just like I knew it would. Before I left, I had to give myself a pep talk because I knew that once I came back I'd be in a funk. Just the nature of the beast, I suppose, after having a great time with my family and friends, eating good food, watching American TV and being able to drive a car. So, instead of getting out of my room and interacting with people like I probably should, I've holed myself up here and have been watching Jersey Shore. Not exactly a great solution, but I just can't get myself to snap out of it quite yet. And really, I should just be patient with myself. It's hard to go from one extreme to another and back again without some hiccup. I know I'll be fine; I just have to give it a little time.

Coming back in 2012, though, is kind of cool because, as I was telling my friend, Christine, we have this entire year ahead of us, which, I guess, is true for everyone, but maybe it's just a little more dramatic for both of us because we both returned to the US for the holidays and came back to Thailand at the beginning of a fresh new year.

And, because it's a brand new year, it's time to roll out the New Year's Resolutions: lose 10 pounds, get more organized, start my dream career. No. I'm taking baby steps this year because we all know that grandiose goals never work out for me.

1. Write something, ANYTHING, on my blog once a week. I have to live my somewhat boring life out here, so you should all have to suffer through my writing about it. Also, this way, I don't have to give an entire back story every time I want to tell you “This one time in Thailand...” story.
2. Work my through my LSAT book by the end of the year. It's a hefty book, but I figure that if I take a little bit of time out of each Friday, I can finish it by the end of this year.
3. Do a better job of taking care of my sanity since no one else will. Another volunteer brought something up a few months ago that I thought was interesting. He said that when he came to Thailand, he thought he would have so much more free time to relax and be kind of lazy, but in reality, he's turned out to be even busier than ever. I have felt the same way here. Because, really, it's not as if my hard-working personality changed when I came here; it's just that I have a different set of things to keep myself busy. I never say no to anyone here. I want to seem like the good little volunteer that has her community's best interests at heart. But, in doing so, I often am not very kind to myself. Last year, I didn't leave my site one time in three months. I think I just kept agreeing to do things to make people happy, but in the end, I felt like I started to resent people for not letting me leave. Really, it was me that I have to blame for that. This time around, I'm leaving site at least once a month. I mean, I haven't even been to the beach yet for crying out loud.

I'm tempted to write “Call at least one of my friends one time a week,” but we all know how that one will turn out. I just ask all of you to not forget your friend out here. Send me an email detailing every boring detail of your day every once and a while, including what food you've eaten. (I especially want details on the food. I should be able to taste your turkey sandwich through your words.)

Read my blog and keep me accountable! Have an awesome 2012!