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We've only just passed the Chinese New Year, so I it's not too late to do my 2005 year end post now, is it? Actually, I'm not usually one for the year end reviews, as a good friend once said, the new year will be coming again and again. It is not strange. But, this new year was shortly preceded by my much anticipated return to the US, after nearly a year and half living in Thailand, and three years living overseas. So it seems like this event deserves some reflection. Or, it deserves reflection recorded in public place so I can gain validation by the little reads counter below.

I must say, that 2005 has to have been one of my better years yet. But not so great that I'll be left reminiscing about it and wondering where things went wrong. Which is good. The year started off pretty well, within the first two weeks I got molested by a stranger in a horror house. Unfortunately it wasn't the only attempted molestation of the year, and let me just say that my tolerance for inappropriate behavior from old and/or drunk men has run out. 2006 will see an increase in violence in response to such situations.

But, that was but a tiny blurb in 2005. Other things that happened? Well, I had a birthday, of course. There was no celebration because my roommates forgot, instead going to a party (without me) for a friend they thought had died in the tsunami but hadn't actually.

I nearly got to be in a movie. I should say, I got paid 500 baht to sit around for 12 hours waiting for the director to not choose me to be an extra in a low budget, straight to video movie. But, Karen and I did come away from it with a great new friend. After that, there were several boring months as I pretended to teach very noisy children English.

The work quickly ended though, and I was bolstered by a mid-year resolution to never teach english or children ever again. Ever. I discovered the heavenly joy that is mango and sticky rice. Adam came to visit in April. We threw cold water on strangers and spent much time being very wet. We took a boat to Laos, rode an elephant, played with a monkey, and went swimming with monks.

I wrote an article, and got paid (a little) for it. I got to be a designer and nearly started a business. I also survived not one, but three, floods.

Throughout the year was life with my roommates, Karen and Lowey. That's an event in itself. It wasn't always pretty, but we all came out of it alive, and somehow managed to build our own little strange family. To get such a close glimpse into someone else's life and relationship isn't an opportunity many people get, and isn't one I'll likely get again. It's kind of weird, but I'm grateful to them for that.

More important than the experiences, though, is the wisdom gained and lessons learned. What have I learned this year? Well, I've learned the joy that is to be found in a cold bucket shower. I've learned that little froggies can live inside a house. I've learned that although cats like plastic bags, they don't like being carried inside a backpack. I've learned that the challenge of having your house flooded and half your stuff ruined is worth the opportunity to step outside your own life and to learn how wonderful your friends really are. I've learned that sifting through and salvaging someone else's old photos and love letters is an incredibly touching experience. I've learned that it's the people who love us that truly make our lives what they are, and I've learned that most of the suffering, courage and heroism in this world will go unnoticed and unacknowledged.

Was that too much sentiment for you? Because there might be more. Of course, no review would be complete without mentioning my trip to Malaysia. It was definitely a highlight, and way too big to recount any details in this post. But let me just say that it goes at the top of my list of reasons why my ten year old self would think my current self is the coolest person ever. And my 10 year old self is not easily impressed.

So 2005 has ended, along with it a chapter of this life that is mine. The transition of coming back to the US hasn't always been easy, but that's to be expected. Sometimes I feel guilty for people I've left behind, but I know that they don't (all) feel the same way. And that the great relationships I found will continue to be important to me for a long time, no matter where I am. Sometimes things here seem too quiet, like life has been muted. And sometimes I feel a little misplaced here, like little bits of myself are melting away under the pressure of my old life, tv, cars, social order, family and responsibilities. I miss the sounds, the smells, the colors, the crowds, and the quirkiness of life in Asia. Where you never know when you'll get to see something fantastic, like a dog riding on the back of a motorbike, and where you can find so much joy in simple things, like donuts, or playing badminton in the street. But life is about moving forward, to new experiences, new chapters. And life is about challenges. I couldn't have asked for more out of 2005, and I wouldn't change anything that happened, good or bad. I'm looking forward to all the challenges, experiences and good things to come in 2006.