2012 felt like it flew by. It seemed like only yesterday I was preparing for my departure for Peace Corps, and today, it’s already 2013 and I’m nearing a 1 year mark of arriving in country. With inspiration from my friend’s blog, I have decided to put together a list of my 20 top moments of 2012 to share with all my readers. Some are inside jokes between PC Volunteers, others are realizations about myself, and some are just things that I have experienced that have changed me forever. It’s what made 2012 and what I will remember it to be. The only one that can truly be ranked is #1; the rest, while they are my favorite moments of 2012, are all very closely ranked together and interchangeable.
1. Taking the oath and swearing in as a Peace Corps Volunteer
-Hiking to the top of Pic Boby in Andringitra and coming to the realization that I can do and will do anything that I want, even after being told I wouldn’t make it.
-Working with an amazing group of people to build four houses in Ranomafana, Madagascar with Habitat for Humanity Global Villages and sharing some great experiences
-Hand feeding an Indri lemur in Andasibe
-Deciding I want to become a Public Interest Lawyer after Peace Corps
-Spending Christmas with my sister and a friend in Mahajanga and seeing the ocean for the first time in 9 months
-Finding and adopting my dog, Parasy from a trash pit in town. She has been a handful ever since, but I wouldn’t change it for anything
-Being invited to and experiencing a Malagasy exhumation.
-Spending Thanksgiving with my Peace Corps family in Fianar
-Arriving in my village of Alakamisy-Ambohimaha, on of all days, market day with thousands of people staring at me.
-Litchee season arriving in Madagascar and the consummation of kilos of this delicious fruit
-The arrival of ‘Daaron’ during IST (3 month training)
-Selling the product my group and I created during training in Manjakadriana
-The creation of Scrap Metal Stanley and PC Fight Club during Tech Trip
-Friday Happy Hours with my first sitemate, Savanna
-The PC Staff singing ‘RavoRavo’ to us our first night in Mantasoa; we sang that song for our Swearing In ceremony
-Johanessa’s security dance
-Sharing the Saturdays of our PC training with my stage at Hotel Ermitage over beers
-The last party before Swearing In at the PCTC with my stagemates, “Crazy Clothing Night”
-Spending three days with two friends from college in New York City prior to departure
It's a mad Mad Land out there. 
2012 was a great year for you. A ton of changes and new beginnings. I hope 2013 is just as great if not better than 2012. Have fun and can’t wait to see you when you come home to visit.