I learned a lot in 2009. It was a year of big changes – graduating from college, moving to a strange, new country. I’ve spent more time away from home than ever before in my life. I fell in love, I got my heart broken. In a lot of ways, I guess it’s been like every other year. But I learned a lot. Here’s a smattering of life lessons:

#1: Take on small challenges

Making small goals and completing them can be very fulfilling. I joined the Peace Corps and imagined myself coming to a new country and changing the world. Unfortunately, that’s not in the cards immediately. It’s a lot easier, emotionally, to wake up in the morning with tiny tasks. Make friends with a new colleague. Make a learner smile. Crossing even minute items off a long to-do list feels better than setting lofty, impossible to reach goals and getting frustrated.

#2: Doing nothing is highly underrated

Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed, it’s better to take a breath, relax and reboot. I have 2 years in this country. If it’s better for my sanity to waste a day watching Weeds or Prison Break or reading a good book, so be it.

#3: Redefining Productivity

It’s easy to feel productive in college. I spent many days in the cafe at the library, chatting with friends and drinking coffee and feeling like I was getting something done because I had a text book or a laptop in front of me. I’ve spent the last two months at site feeling like I should be doing something, but have had little options because I didn’t have a classroom yet, and can’t start secondary projects until next year. The truth is, I’ve been more productive than I was for most of the 4 years of college. I’ve been integrated into a new culture. If that’s not productivity, I don’t know what is.

#4: Don’t put all my eggs in one basket

The beauty of being in love is having someone to put all of your trust in. When you find that the other person doesn’t feel the same way, a lot of that trust gets ripped away. It’s hard to recover. I pride myself in being able to keep my head on my shoulders and retain a large degree of independence in relationships, and I strive to continue that when love finds me again. I believe that the trust will come back.

#5: Trust needs to be earned

When you move to a strange place, it’s human nature to cling to whatever friends you can find. In Namibia, that has ended in the loss of an iPod and lots of hurt feelings. I don’t think this is uncommon when you move anywhere. It’s happened before, and it will happen again. Trust needs to be earned, no matter how desperate you are.

#6: Going through turmoil brings you together

I’ve never been closer to someone than I have to Group 30. We came from all over the country to meet in D.C. for staging, and it wasn’t long before we were on a plane on the way to Namibia. We went through 2 months of training together, tackled the challenges of new host families together, and shared tears and joy at new discoveries about the culture we have found ourselves in. Now we’re at site, but there’s no one I talk to more than my closest friends from my group.

#7: The beauty in waiting

I spent most of the latter half of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 waiting. Waiting to find out when I was leaving for the Peace Corps, where I’d be going, etc. If I had a nickel for every time I told someone “I’m joining the Peace Corps but don’t know where I’m going, what I’m doing, or when” I’d have a lot of nickels. Some people say the hardest part of your Peace Corps experience is training. Others, the first 3 months. I say it’s the application process. If you’re an applicant and you’re reading this, don’t give up. It takes time. Treasure it. Because in a few months, you’ll think about how silly you were for being worried about it.

#8: Those you don’t think care are the most valuable when you find out they do

After graduating and moving to Namibia a few months later, many of the friends I treasured over the last few years seem to have fallen away. This is natural. It’s easy to be friends when you can just count on someone to meet you at the bar. Long distance friendships are no different than relationships. They take effort. Those who have made the effort – believe that I treasure you more than is possible to imagine.

#9: Finding things in common

I’m used to making friends because I have something in common with them. Most of my friends from college were close to my heart because we shared letters, love for international affairs, political unity, love for a sport, an affinity for alcohol, what have you. It’s difficult to find things in common with someone who grew up a world apart from you. When you make a connection with these people, it’s even more valuable.

#10: I love my family

Sure, we have our differences. But when it comes down to it, there’s no one in my life who has been as continuously supportive over my 22 years. I’ve become closer to my mother with the distance than I ever thought possible over the last few months. Granted, this may be because distance makes the heart grow stronger and she no longer has financial control over me.

Thanks for the memories, 2009!