Daily Archive

It’s a yearly thing I do. I have students set goals for themselves because I believe it’s important to have a plan, a quest even. And yet, while I do set goals for myself all the time, I rarely write them down the same way I have my students do it. And you know…that just ain’t right, is it?

So here goes. Over the next two years while I’m in Guatemala, I want to set some goals: short-term, long-term, specific, general, fun, serious, professional, personal, and just plain crazy goals. Here goes:

1. Become Fluent in Spanish:
a. By fluent I mean I’ll be able to carry on a conversation with someone in Spanish without using a dictionary, without saying, “Que?” and without nodding my head and smiling, pretending I had any clue what was just said to me.
b. And how will I do this? Well…easy. I’ll have to actually speak the language once in a while. I’ll have to open a book and study some Spanish verbs. And, this is wild, but I’ll have to stop hanging out with Gringos so much and immerse myself in the culture of Guatemala.

2. Travel throughout Central and South America:
a. By the time I leave Guatemala, my goal is to have visited every country in Central America (I’ve been to Mexico and Belize, but there’s also Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, and Costa Rica). I also want to travel to at least three countries in South America. Preferably Colombia, Brazil, and Chile or Argentina.

3. Help ALL of my Students Improve their English:
a. This is a very general, broad goal, but by improve I hope they can speak better, read better, and write a little bit better by the time they leave my class. The best way to do this is by making class engaging and interesting.

4. Learn to Cook at least 10 different meals:
a. This is more specific, because it needs to be. I am 26 years old, and damn it, I should know how to cook more than a few different dishes. So, with the help of friends, my maid, and the Internet, I hope to learn how to cook.

5. Climb a Volcano:
a. Guatemala has volcanoes like California has sign twirlers. It seems like every time I turn my head I see another one. So, it would be a shame if I never went to the top of one. This goal I should be able to accomplish soon.

6. Write EVERY Day:
a. One time I read that people who journal, or who simply write on a regular basis are healthier, and get sick far less often than those who don’t. This is only one reason why I want to write every day though. The main reason is to capture this experience so I can fully appreciate it now and later. Each time I write I’m forced to focus on specific details throughout the day, which in turn forces me to be more aware of each day. So much can get lost if we don’t stop and reflect.
b. A sub goal for this would be to write in Spanish at least twice a week. Es un poco deficil ahora, pero voy a mejorar y vamos a ver si puedo escribir mejor tambien.

7. Read at least THREE books in Spanish.

8. Win a basketball tournament.

9. Learn to Scuba Dive.

10. Make a film about my experience here.

11. Fall in love and get married. (Maybe not in the next two years…but sometime soon would be nice.)

As you can see, now I’m starting to stretch my goals a bit.