Nina has learned how to sing “Jesus loves me”. This morning I was putting away some clothes and she was playing with her soft toys and I heard her start singing “Jesus loves me” to them. I confess it brought tears to my eyes. I hope she always knows it.

It is my second day at my new job.  I am on lunch so thought I’d write a blog post.  There really is a lot to learn and my head feels like it my explode from overload.  Thankfully I don’t have to teach for another 2 weeks so it is an extensive induction process with time to slowly begin to process it all and plan.  I am nervous about the teaching, it is going to be hard but I feel so blessed to be here.  This really is the area that I want to be in and everyone is very friendsly and helpful so I am looking forward to Iearning a lot.

We made it.  We are finally here back in our home in Alice Springs.  While we had a most wonderful time in Sydney, staying at the beach and spending lots of and lots of time with family and friends I am happy to be here and finally in my own place again.  We have caught up with all the special people on this block too which has been nice.

I don’t feel fully settled yet though.  It’s strange coming back to a place which is so familiar and yet so unfamiliar as well.   I guess I just need time to adjust again. There are still boxes to unpack even though we have been working pretty solidly for two days.  It has also been unbelievably hot reaching tops of 43 both days and the same predicted for the next week.  That will be intense.

My annual bullet point list of what I did this year:

• I started the year in Piura living in a cousin’s place after having just moved to Peru.  In January we moved to Chulucanas.
• I tried to get a job at the university there.  I was told I had it but then it was given to someone else.
• I didn’t get another job apart from working at a primary school for a term.
• I also did some translating for an organic mango association.
• I tried to start a little doula project.  I only attended two births but spent a lot of time hanging out with these women as well as 4 other women throughout pregnancy and after the birth.  They were very significant relationships for me.
• Martin did some sustainable agriculture workshops which took him as well as Nina and I when we could to many different farms in the Chulucanas area.  Again significant relationships were built.
• I spent most of my time in 2012 looking after Nina, which involved lots of outings to the park, plaza and pool as well as lots of song singing, dancing, hugging, bathing, encouraging her to eat, sitting through tantrums etc etc.  It is a constant job but has been pretty rewarding this year seeing her develop so much and I just love the person she is becoming.
• I also spent lots of time hanging in Chulucanas with family and getting to know them better.  I tried to just be present and learn to “be” more.  It’s a life time journey I think.
• I travelled a fair bit around Peru.  Firstly to Trujillo to watch my first “La U” soccer game and visit some Per-Incan ruins.
• I turned 30 and we travelled to Chiclayo to celebrate and visit some burial sites of other pre Incan cultures.
• Mum and Keith visited and we travelled to Frias and Ayabaca in the Andes not far from Chulucanas and then we travelled to Lima and Pulcallpa in the Amazons to visit Martin’s dad.
• Nina turned 2 and we had a massive party for her.
• We came back from Peru.  The move has been hard in many ways but it is great to back and I am feeling more at peace with it as time goes on.
• I saw one movie at the cinema and it was so bad I don’t even remember the name and I don’t know how many books I read as I haven’t been very good at keeping a record again this year but it was a lot.
• We had a lovely Christmas with family on the beach in Mona Vale.
• I was actually up at midnight on New Years Eve for the first time in two years.  It was a quiet night but spent with many of my oldest and dearest friends and of course some wonderful family members.