I’m trying a new thing where instead of plotting out large yearly goals, I break them down into bite-sized monthly goals. Especially in Mada, where life is just a bit harder, it will hopefully make everything feel more manageable. And considering Gareth left yesterday and I’m feeling quite sad and far from home, it’ll give me a tangible list of things to focus on instead of the 6,000 miles between us.

JANUARY GOALS

MPH

• Finish the project for my Social Research class.
• Finish the book for Issues in Public Health.

FRENCH

• Get to lesson 16 in Pimsleur French 1. I used Pimsleur to learn Spanish before moving to Spain and it was hugely helpful. It’s a bit different this time, though. I studied Spanish from grade 8-11 in school, and though it had been nearly 10 years (!), a lot stuck with me. French is literally starting from scratch, I have to google how to spell oui, etc. I get through lessons a lot slower but the plan is to just stick with it and by the end of Jan be over halfway through level 1.
• Work on the 1000 most common French words in Memrise (100 words).
• Read first five chapters of Madrigal’s Magic Key to French.
• Arrange for a tutor to begin biweekly lessons in February (waiting until I have SOME background).

HEALTH AND FITNESS

• Stick with Kayla Itsines workouts three to four times a week for the full month. While I’m not crazy about the branding (every body is a bikini body, etc ), these are really effective and easy to do without equipment.
• Try to figure out why I’m sick ALL. THE. TIME. The indicator for this is if I haven’t improved by mid-January to go back to the doctor.

So we’ll see how this goes. If I come close to accomplishing any of this, I’ll update and make a new one for February. If not, it’s safe to assume I failed on nearly all counts. :p