In Lieu of my Christmas Letter…

I've been really good over the last several years about writing my Christmas letter. But the pre-Christmas furor isn't quite the same here (thankfully), and it slipped by me somehow this year. When my parents were here, I think they were surprised at some of the ways I have changed, the lack of Christmas letter probably just a small example. And so, in lieu of my Christmas letter this year, I present to you, my January blog post!

The ways I've changed that would surprise you:

1. I haven't got a clue what the Jets' record is
   I also can only name a couple players, haven't watched a single game since 1996, and certainly don't know the team's leading scorer. This is, of course, a far cry from the Gina of my youth who kept a scrapbook of every newspaper article and every stat imaginable. But I have found it quite difficult to summon much interest in a team I have never seen play, can't watch, and about which I have no one to talk to. I even found myself a bit bothered when I logged onto the Freep site the day of the eastern final, and saw no leading article about the Bombers but instead about the Jets. This made me wonder if my conversion from hockey to football was officially complete. I did, after all, manage to win the Stopperan Fantasy Football League from afar for the second straight year, and I did wake up early to listen to CJOB online for the eastern final and Grey Cup. Aside from that, my attempts to "view" sports online in Africa have been limited to a rugby tournament in Nairobi my friends were playing in, a skype date with my dad where he held the computer facing the TV during the Brier final, and the provincial volleyball final featuring my beloved Cru boys. In defence of the hockey girl at my core, I still miss the World Juniors with my whole being and checked the scores religiously, and I check my kid Mike St. Croix's stats with the Oil Kings every time I think of it. I am thrilled beyond measure that the Jets are home, but you're all enjoying it more than I am.
2. I like birds

   

   Who wouldn't love these Fischer's Lovebirds???

   Does that sound really lame? Maybe. But there are some really, really cool birds here, and it is fun to try to identify them. I'm still horrible at identification, but I'm learning. And when you're out on safari, on the days when there are no lions, or leopards, or cheetah, the birds never disappoint.
3. I haven't had a McDonald's craving in months
   This is shocking, I know. Last year when Cor came to visit, I put in a ridiculous number of food requests from Winnipeg rye bread to Twizzlers to Cheerios. And while all of those requests still sound really good to me, I've gradually learned to do without! My mom brought chocolate chips and Shreddies (from Germany…. no Cheerios there either) and that's it. Ethan is coming back from the states this week, and all I've asked for is maple syrup.
4. I wear a skirt to school almost every day
   Don't worry, I haven't gone all girly-girl on you! But it's so hot! The heat also makes me eat less chilli and drink more beer than I ever did at home!
5. I haven't thrown a curling rock in almost two years
   I guess you probably could have figured this one out on your own, but it is shocking to me! Maybe that glitch in my in-turn will have worked itself out by the time I throw another stone.
6. I mostly let the bugs in my house live
   Man, you just can't keep up. And so, to combat the bugs, I'm also happy to let the geckos in my house live. I have no mercy on the mosquitoes though.
7. I haven't watched TV in ages
   Don't have one. While I definitely miss the sports, I don't miss whiling away hours watching reruns of Law & Order or episodes of What Not to Wear. (We all know you can find either of those at any hour of the day!) When I was in Canada in the summer, I loaded up on the most recent season of many series, but I've long since exhausted that supply, and the internet is too slow to bother with much from here. So all I get is an episode of Criminal Minds once a week. It takes about 12 hours to download.
8. I teach English and history now
   Kidding! Wow, I hope you didn't fall for that one! I do, however, teach mostly in isolation and truly miss the camaraderie of a real science department and the professional development opportunities that were afforded me in Canada.
9. Coaching is a thing of the past
   This is mostly true. I attempted to coach girls softball this year. I had 32 girls, and 4 balls. I hit the cover off the ball one day. While I would like to be proud of that, and it brings back great memories of the day we finally broke that bat at the cages, it speaks more to the quality of our equipment than my slugging prowess. Most of the girls did not have the first clue about baseball. It was fun, but it was a far cry from the 5 days a week x 4 month volleyball seasons at St. Paul's, overlapping with the 2 days a week x 4 month curling season, overlapping with the 2 days a week x 2 month badminton season.
10. I know how to cook now
    …but I don't do it. Truth is I only know how to cook a few things, but it's a challenge learning how to cook with basic ingredients, how to make your own Italian dressing, etc. Mostly we eat out, and mostly at the same place all the time where we play volleyball and rugby and soccer. (Oh, I only play the volleyball part myself… not that much has changed!)

And with that, I wish you all a blessed new year. In reality, I look back at 2010 as the year of great change and upheaval in my life, and 2011 more as the year of settling in, discovering new things about myself, and finding joy in the new normal. I owe you all a blog post about my parents' visit as well, but I still procrastinate with just about everything I need to get done… I haven't changed that much.