2012: A Year in Review

As I finished my final final (at 8:30am, mind you), I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief: first term is over! Christmas is 10 days away! I’ll be home in 3 days! And the world might end in 6… 😉

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Looking back, this year has been kind of crazy and filled with many firsts for me.

In January I was returning for my second semester of second year and of advising. I was comfortable with my job and with school…probably a little too comfortable, in hindsight. I wasn’t motivated and I really wasn’t happy with what I was doing.

It was around then that I started to unearth my passion for travel. I started this blog, stayed up late searching for flight deals instead of studying for midterms and began dreaming my great escape. I had applied to be an English tutor in Italy for the summer, which unfortunately didn’t pan out (they did offer me a position in late August), but it turns out it was for the best.

In February I got my first taste of solo travel when I spent a day alone in San Francisco! It was pretty uneventful but I impressed myself by getting from the airport to the hotel, dining solo and finding the sea lions on Fisherman’s Wharf.

Looking back at it now, I can’t believe I went from 24hrs alone in the States to 3 weeks alone in Europe in only 4 months! My mom showed up the next afternoon and we spent the next few days together. It was a great escape from school/advising and I kind of fell in love with SF.  The city is gorgeous and I can’t wait to visit “Frannie” again.

March was Musical Madness Month! The residence musical I was helping to run had our 3-night run and it went so well! I was really proud of my cast, crew and colleagues – though I’m pretty sure I didn’t touch any school work for most of March.

School winded down in April and after finals ended and I moved out of Shuswap, it was time to face reality: I was homeless and jobless! It wasn’t as dire as all that, but I had been hoping for a tutoring job in Italy or cushy office job in Vancouver.  Instead, as April ended I boarded a flight home to Toronto with no real job plans.

In May I was able to catch up with my friends and family at home. I spent a lot of time applying to jobs online and managed to get quite a few writing gigs.  Unfortunately, most of the gigs were unpaid, but the experience was great! It was exciting to be doing something I actually loved.  Still, my days felt a little empty.

By some miracle, I found the world’s greatest flight deal and in June I packed my bags, booked hostels and trains, said my goodbyes and jumped on a flight to Europe! I blogged daily while I worked my way through a whirlwind tour of London, Paris, Nice, Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon.

It was an insane 3 weeks and I still can’t believe how quickly it came together and how much I managed to squeeze in. I still shake my head sometimes when I see photos I took of the Eiffel Tower or remember that I stood outside Buckingham Palace waving at The Queen and her family. It was my first solo adventure and one I’m never going to forget. I can’t wait to go back!

In July I began working as an Editorial Intern at The Kit Magazine. It was a great job and I really got to immerse myself in the magazine culture.

Not only did I get to handle swanky clothing samples and luxe beauty products, speak with top brands and retailers, but I got to write and see my work in print and online! And in July I joined a new decade: my 20s!

August started off with an amazing family trip to Atlantis in The Bahamas.  It was nice to spend time with my sister who had been in Quebec for the month of July and just relax the 5 of us.  After that I had a few more weeks in Toronto before I headed back to the west coast for Advisor Orientation in Kelowna.

September was pretty much just a blur. I was settling back into advising with a new team, new floor, new house and new residence area.  Classes started up again and I was actually excited about my courses.

Ambitiously I joined the Pre-Law Society and Psychology Students Association to see if my future lay in either of those directions. FYI: Psychology has been taken off the table. Law is still in the cards along with Journalism. 

In October my mom came out to visit me and we had ourselves a Thanksgiving Staycation. It was so nice to see my mom and relax away from school/work. The rest of the month consisted of midterms, papers and handing out candy to adorable children at the Acadia Park residence on Halloween. Oh, and I casually won $100 from a random draw costume contest.

In November I found out that I had been accepted to an International Service Learning program and would be spending Summer 2013 in Mbabane, Swaziland!

I’m so excited about this because I’ll get to go to an un-visited continent, embrace a brand new culture and have the opportunity to work at an HIV/AIDS advocacy organization. In November I also went to Disney On Ice (pure magic), the Twilight premiere and our Winter Formal in residence.

15 days into December and I’ve already accomplished quite a bit! I wrote my 5 finals, celebrated birthdays with good friends, visited The Vancouver Christmas Market and got a co-op job for next term!

I’m so excited that in January I will be working for one of my favourite organizations, Free The Children! I’m joining the team as a youth programming intern and will be helping make the first US We Day come to life. The whole thing came about rather quickly but I’m so stoked! It’ll also be a really cool change to be on a co-op job term instead of just school.

Looking ahead: The next few days will be full of Christmas shopping, packing and taking care of all the home stuff I’ve ignored during finals (dishes, laundry, etc.). And then on the 18th I fly back to Toronto for 12 days!

I’m really excited to see my friends and family.  I’m also hoping the cold holds off and it only snows once or twice. I’ll be filling out my application for exchange as well over the break. My plan is to go to The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia in January 2014.

It’s a pretty cool feeling to look ahead and know that 2013 will be filled with a lot of happy moments: I’ll still be RA-ing with my amazing team and house. I’ll be working for Free The Children.  I’m seeing Lady Gaga on the 12th! I’m going to Africa in June! And I’ll probably be living on my own in Vancouver at some point.

My expectations at the start of 2012 were vastly different from how the year turned out.  There were some low points but there were way more highlights and reasons to feel so incredibly lucky.  I’ve ended the year on quite the high note and I’ve got a great feeling about 2013.

My 2013 resolutions

Every year people promise they’ll lose weight, eat better, spend less and save more.  The arbitrary date of January 1^st is supposed to magically make these lofty and broad resolutions more accomplishable.  Unfortunately, most resolutions seem to be abandoned by Feb 1^st, if not sooner.

So instead of making grandiose promises, I’m going to commit to a few little things.  Small changes that will help make my daily life better and lead to larger ideals of financial, physical, spiritual and mental health.

Along with these goals, I’m actively planning to make 2013 an awesome year: a co-op job at Free The Children, volunteering in Swaziland for 3 months (and getting course credits!) and possibly living on my own in Vancouver before setting off to Australia for exchange!

Resolution #1: Write a novel

I’ve been writing for years and my first genre of choice was fiction stories. I’ve written countless story beginnings, only to fall out of love with my plot or main character and abandon the piece.  In 2013, I am committing to finishing a full-length fiction story.  It might not be good, and there’s a super slim chance it will ever see the light of day, but it will be finished!

Resolution #2: Actually get into tea

Back in September I made a list of goals for myself for the school year.  While I’ve worked towards some of them (research school options and attend church weekly – check!), some have been pretty much forgotten (flossing? Overrated!).  But one of my goals was to get in to tea!

I want to replace my stash of hocho/coffee and start drinking tea instead. I started by buying a few cheap grocery store brands but it was a struggle to force myself to make a cup, let alone enjoy one.  So this year, I’m starting my tea journey anew by making tea drinking fun! I’ve visited David’s Tea and I think I’m ready to recommit.

Resolution #3: Pick brown/wheat bread

As a rule, whenever I’ve been given the option between white and wheat, I always go white.  I prefer the flavour but have come to accept that the added calories aren’t really worth it.  The sandwich will taste just as good on whole wheat toast.  I know it’s not a huge step, but it’s a little something I can commit to for 2013.

Resolution #4: Floss and stretch daily

As I mentioned above, both of these things were on my September goals list but kind of fell by the wayside.  In 2013, I’m bringing them back! I just have to get into a routine of flossing and doing a few quick stretches every day.

Resolution #5: Write more letters

I love snail mail! And in 2012 I wrote and received a fair amount of snail mail from friends and family back home and overseas.  It’s really fun to get mail and take a few moments to connect with people offline.  In 2013 I want to send even more letters to my friends and family. I’m hoping for a full mailbox, so please reply to my letters!

Resolution #6: Budget

I’ve never been terrible with money.  I’ve actually always set a little aside for savings and I’m pretty responsible about not spending it too recklessly.  But I can honestly say I don’t know enough about how much I’m earning, saving and spending. My dad recently walked me through a simple budgeting technique which I’m going to employ in the new year.

Resolution #7: Finish the Bible

Two years ago I started reading the Bible, after a failed attempt years before that. I managed to finish all of the New Testament except for Revelations.  In 2013, I’m going to start from the beginning and read the Old Testament and then Revelations.  I’ll officially have read the entire Bible but in the future I plan to read it again in the proper order.

Resolution #8: Accessorize more!

This is my fluff resolution, but still one I intend to keep! I want to accessorize more in 2013.  I have a ton of jewellery that I don’t remember I own until I’m moving and have to pack it all up.  This year I’m going to start wearing some of it! Every day I want to wear at least one piece of jewellery.

And that’s the plan for 2013! 8 little habit changes I’m going to add to my daily routine plus my big plans for the year.  I’m looking forward to so much in 2013 and I’m really excited for what’s coming this year. I’m also thinking ahead to 2014, 2015 and beyond.  It scares me a little that I still have some big decisions to make and that in 2-ish years I’m going to be graduating and out in the real world.  But I’m also super excited for the opportunity to travel, live on my own, come home, discover new passions, learn more, work hard, meet new people, make mistakes and find my place in the world.  I think 2013 is definitely setting me on the right path to discover where that will be.