Feliz Ano Novo!

Happy New Year! Well, I have not even visited for a while. So I guess I am behind, but what a crazy two weeks, I have had! I hope all are well and wish you the best success in 2005!

I will have a new experience this year visiting Italy for the first of two trips in November to teach at two conferences, one in Milan, the other in Sicily. It should be an interesting time. Will be hosted by and staying with, in between, my friends Joel and Jessica Rinn in Ferrara, Italy. I hope to get their thoughts on culture sometime featured here. But it will be my first chance to teach in Europe, my first visit to Italy, and my first time in Italy other than airport connections in 20 years! So, I am looking forward to it! I also am actively searching for a job that can pay enough for me to continue paying off my student loans while living and working elsewhere. Brazil has been my main focus, but I would be open to other possibilities if they arose.

For me, who writes about and thinks about crosscultural life, and who interacts crossculturally on a regular basis both online and in daily life, to finally live full time in another culture is a learning experience I have long awaited. Think how much richer this blog will be! Plus, I really feel I will grow in my ability to function crossculturally, as well as my understanding. And this will prepare me for the future I desire and missionary and researcher. So we will see what happens. I have already had one woman who owns an English school in Brazil respond to my mention of it in my Orkut.com profile. So we will see where that leads.

Anyway, I will write again soon about something more on topic. But for now, Happy New Year and may God richly bless you in the days and weeks to come!