Above, a belated shot of the Los’ Christmas spread this year. I got home from my three week-long shoot just in time to celebrate with them. Note the turkey! I have managed to make my mark in Senegal… The family loved our Thanksgiving turkey so much that they decided to make it again for Noël instead of their usual mutton. Unfortunately, I think there was a bit of beginner’s luck at play with the first one, because this second attempt didn’t turn out quite as delicious. I hope they nevertheless turn this into a new Christmas tradition, so that I can leave a legacy here!
Below, lots of links I wanted to share this month but didn’t have the time to until now:
Ten food names with unusual origins.
A world map of every country’s tourism slogan.
A visualization of what each country is best (or worst) at.
Italy’s last bastion of Catalan language struggles to keep it alive.
As double-dutch wanes in New York, competition comes from abroad.
On non-Swedes’ obsession with “hygge” (and the ironic conspicuous consumption that accompanies it).
32 movie accents analyzed by a dialogue coach.
FOLO = fear of living offline.
Atlas Obscura’s greatest finds of 2016.
Spin the globe to listen to radio stations around the world.
This makes me so sad, and it’s one of the reasons the call back to New York has grown fainter and fainter for me.
What each country is most worried about, and how satisfied they are with the direction of their country.
Comedians from repressive countries offer words of wisdom to Americans devastated by the election.
And on that inappropriate note, happy new year to all of you! Thank you for reading my blog this year, and for encouraging and commiserating with me as I grope my way towards French proficiency (while forgetting all the Spanish I’ve ever learned). It’s been way harder than I naively thought it would be when I arrived in Dakar. Writing about the ups and downs makes it so much more bearable, perhaps because I feel a confidence in English that I lack completely in French. Nice to remind myself that I can at least speak one language well…
Anyway, I wish I were more prepared to look back at 2016 and make some sort of meaningful statement about it the way everyone else seems to do when they have a blog.. but the only thing I’ve been capable of for the past few days is listening to George Michael and wallowing in angst about my lost youth and our doomed future.
I should have quit at “Happy new year”….
talk foreign to me 
You’re great, Ruth! Still really enjoying your blog. What a really interesting year you’ve had, and you’ve been so honest and engaging about describing it. A Happy New Year to you too!
Thank you, Deirdre! I have so appreciated your comments, and knowing you’re reading this year. Wishing you all the best for the new year!
Aw, no, you can’t lose your Spanish! (After all that hard work). Happy New Year!
Oh yeah, I forgot that is how we got to know each other in the first place. Don’t worry, I’ll get back to Spanish eventually… Barcelona is on the agenda for 2017! Hope all is great in New York (I want to hear about your new job!), and happy new year!