12 things I’m thankful for in 2012.

 I thought I’d express my gratitude for this last year by compiling a list of a few of the things which stand out for me, looking back on it. 12 short posts to talk about the things which have made 2012 a hard but wonderful year.

1.  Translating D. A. Carson’s book The God Who Is There into French. My first book and first great professional achievement after obtaining my master’s in 2011, I believe it will be a great resource for French people who wish to study the Bible in a fresh way, based nonetheless on rigorous scholarship. I must thank my editor Michel, who gave me this great opportunity and my corrector Dominique, for helping me reach higher levels of French expression. I’ll include translating Tim Keller’s The Meaning of Marriage here, since otherwise I won’t have enough points, and will have to over 12! It truly has been a wonderful, though tough experience translating this book, which challenged me spiritually even as I worked on it linguistically. I believe this too is going to be a wonderful resource for French speakers who are looking for something more than a nice little book about how to make your marriage better: a robust, insightful and incisive theological book, it will change people’s lives, and is a great addition to the corpus of French Christian literature, as is Carson’s book.

2.  My wonderful students. I must say that over 90% of my students have been incredibly fun to teach and it has also been heart-warming to spend time with them and hear their issues, develop friendships with them, encourage them, all the while teaching them English.

3. Improving my Japanese to the point of being able to understand conversations better and read better. I felt a huge feeling of satisfaction on three different occasions recently: a Japanese person telling me I have a beautiful pronunciation ("kirei na hatsuon"), spending 3 hours in Abu Dhabi airport speaking with a young Japanese guy who couldn't speak any English, and talking about a wide range of subjects! Finally, Kei being shocked 2 weeks ago, when I didn't ask her to repeat what she said all the time "? Did you understand what I just said? Sugoooi! (Amazing!)" HAHAHA!!!!

4.  My new family, who have accepted me without any ifs and buts. And my actual family, thanks to whom we have been able to go ahead with the wedding, and with whom we spent a wonderful Christmas.

5.  RDV 2012, where God touched my heart profoundly, challenging me and giving me great hope for the future.

6.  Giving blood, thanks to which I was warned to get back into sports, when they found I had low levels of iron in my blood, because of my lack of exercise and sedentary, computer-based work. Now I feel like a new man!

7.  Getting back into Karate, after years outside the dojo. I’ve fallen once again in love with the beauty of the art, the poetry of kata, and enjoy every training session.

8. Getting a proper initiation to Shakespeare and getting back into poetry, both of which happened through my English Literature module. This has led me once again to write, think, read more.

9. Starting teacher training, another step towards my hopes, aspirations and vision. I’m especially thankful to Holli, my teacher in English Teaching, who has made the whole semester easier to go through. 

10.  My amazing surprise birthday party, first ever in my life, so lovingly organised by my wonderful bride.

11. My friends, new and old, and old ones made new, who have made this year fun and exciting.

12. Spending this year with the woman of my life, the godly, beautiful, wise, fun-loving sister in Christ that is Nikki. I’m growing and being challenged by and through her, learning more about myself and about women.

These are but a few of the things which I can mention. This year has presented many challenges as well as disappointments, which I won’t mention, and of course, I’m thankful above all to God, who carries me through them. Thanks to him, I can look forward to 2013, a wonderful year ahead. Let me mention a few of the things I’m excited about:

1. Watching The Hobbit, which along with The Lord of The Rings marked my childhood quite powerfully.

2. Getting married, of course!!! It should be first on the list, but the movie is happening next week! :D

3. Starting teaching in secondary schools in Geneva!

4. Going to Greece for our honeymoon! I’ve wanted to go there ever since I was a kid!!!

5. Getting into more poetry and more Shakespeare! The ignoramus that I am is thirsty for more culture, more verse: I want to read Milton’s Paradise Lost and Shakespeare’s Coriolanus (and then watch the Ralph Fiennes adaptation).

Plenty more things to mention, but no need… I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. Let’s enjoy 2013 everyone!