2007 Year in Review Pt. 1

2007 has been one of the best years in recent memory. Here's a month by month breakdown to be followed up with a photo entry.

January: I traveled to the Philippines December 29th and stayed for two weeks at Balay Kalinaw at the University of the Philippines, Diliman campus. During that time, I met with members of GABRIELA, MIGRANTE INTERNATIONAL, SAMAKANA, and TASK FORCE SUBIC RAPE. I ushered in 2007 in Tagaytay (an hours drive, depending on the traffic from metro Manila) with some friends. I believe the way I spent the last few days of 2006 and the beginning of 2007 set the tone for the rest of my year.

February: J and I traveled to NYC for a weekend visit to celebrate our 10th, yes 10th, anniversary. We ate at a fabulous Greek restaurant on Bleeker street, stayed at a very cool gay-owned B and B in Chelsea, and watched the Indianapolis Colts whoop the Chicago Bears in a classic Super Bowl match-up somewhere in the West Village . . .good times.

March: J and I traveled to Minnesota to visit some friends. The highlight of the trip was visiting Minneapolis once more, one of my favorite cities in the U.S.

April: Some down time.

May: J and I drove to West Virginia for her mother's surprise 80th birthday party. My mom traveled from Ohio (she was on her own personal journey during the summer) to meet up with us and partake in the celebration. The big event took place at Eccles Baptist Church in Eccles, WV . . . the church was packed with relatives that had come from far and near to celebrate Viola Barry's birthday! She never looked happier than when she saw her sisters (hailing from TX and OH) walk through the door.

June: Some much needed down time. We worked on getting our vegetable garden planted and our backyard together for some summer fun.

July: J and I went to Ireland for 10 days. This occasion marked the very first time J had ever traveled out of the country. I thought it was particularly fitting that we would visit Ireland, where many of her relatives are from. We rented a car (Nissan Micra), braved driving on the left, and toured the entire country. It was fantastic. I visited some migrant organizations to discuss the migration of Filipino nurses to the country.

August: Enjoyed the remains of the summer by the creek, enjoying a campfire with our hound dog. Prepared for the beginning of Fall semester.

September: J and I went to Connecticut and Rhode Island to celebrate the 69th birthday of my mentor and friend. Took a boat tour around Rhode Island to see "how the other half" lives . . . swank, swank, swank.

October: I traveled to Hartford, CT to attend a conference. Enjoyed the panels and made some wonderful contacts along the way . . .

November: J and I flew to Amsterdam and Edinburgh. Needless to say, Amsterdam was all I had hoped it to be and more. I met with members of MIGRANTE-Europe and learned about the situation of many Filipinos who work in the service industry there. In Edinburgh we visited with friends and a former colleague we used to work with at MNSU. The highlight of Scotland was the chance to drink some very nice whisky.

December: J and I spent the Christmas holiday in a cabin in the Adirondacks (Indian Lake, the central part of the Adirondack park). With the hound dog, we embarked on two trails (Rock River and Rock Lake) and snow shoed our asses off. And, tonight, on the last day of 2007 we are spending a quiet night at home with some friends. A little wine, a little bubbly, and hopes for a peaceful 2008.

Down Time

The past month has been a whirlwind of traveling for J and I. In November we took off for Amsterdam and Edinburgh for an 8 day visit. On Monday we returned from the mountain state after a short visit with Js family to usher in the holiday season. Thankfully, we are grounded for a while, at least a month, barring a few day trips here and there, to catch our breath, clean the house, and return to our natural winter state of being house cats.