In Summary

Out with the old and in with the new, or so they say. I am not really sure anything that happened to me in 2013 can be classified as the same old, same old. If I condense 2013 into a sequence of events, I get a pretty incredible and almost unbelieveable result.
In March I got invited to serve in Guinea, and the acceptance of that invitation was followed by a myriad of doctors visits, shots, and infinite paperwork. In May I graduated from college which is something you only do once (when it comes to bachelor's at least). After college, I went on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cuba where I experienced for the first time the juxtaposition of a gorgeous, lucious landscape and the desperate and poverty stricken people who live there. And suddenly it was July. All of the preparation, packing, and saying goodbyes came to an end and I flew to Philly to meet the people I'd spend the next two years of my life with. July 4th I stepped off that plane still not believing I was in Africa. From there, I spent three months in training that at the time seemed brutal, endless, and left me convinced I couldn't teach math in French. By mid September, I became a full fledged PCV and said goodbye to 15 of the 16 I'd met in Philly. I spent the next three months in my village never sure if I'd even be able to stay there because of potential election problems. Once that was over with, school got off to a very slow start. I was terrified to teach my 100+ students and was still convinced I'd be a horrible teacher.
Now suddenly it's January and I realize I've been in Africa for 6 months. I spent half of that in a remote village with a language I don't speak, making friends with children. I've survived three months of teaching, and don't feel too nervous about the upcoming months.
2013 was by far the most interesting, fun, stress-filled, and crazy year I've ever had. I feel like I've grown as a person and I've definitely gained a lot of grit be it climbing a mountain, being sick day-in and day-out, or being screamed at on a daily basis. My only New Years resolution is to stay positive. Life here, or anywhere for that matter, is really hard even at it's best, but if I keep reminding myself why I am here and work towards accomplishing that, I don't see any reason why 2014 will be any less exciting than 2013. I can't wait to see what the new year has to bring...what will you do with it?