This year has passed by so ridiculously quickly, I absolutely cannot believe it.
I think 2014 was the year I became proud of myself. I have genuinely impressed myself with my achievements and I don't care if nobody else cares because I am my own número uno. So everyone else can sod off.
So, just a few of the things I accomplished this year include:
1) Moving to Spain.
Oh yeah, just that little old thing of moving to a new country. Because I'm surrounded by people who share this experience pretty much 24/7 (languages students), I forget that it's a big deal and that not many people do it. I mean, it's a small minority of people who up sticks midway through university to pretty much start again in a foreign country, where they don't speak your native language. There have definitely been moments that I've wanted to drop out and not be in Spain but I'm so proud of myself to have stuck it out for four months so far. Most of the time I forget and then have a sudden realisation like "OH MY GOD I AM 1500 MILES AWAY FROM EVERYTHING I KNOW AND LOVE" but then it's okay. I don't know, maybe it's daft. I did only move to Spain. Whatever.
2) Academic achievement.
I achieved pretty high marks for some pieces of my uni work. I ended up averaging them out to a solid 2:1 overall for second year (since presentations are not my strong suit) but nothing can take away an essay mark of 82.5% from me. I also got 95% on my Spanish grammar course in Alicante which I was very happy with.
3) Became more 'politically aware'.
This is a weird one because I can't really quantify it but basically 2014 was the year where I truly became a feminist and started learning about sexism/racism/transphobia/politics. I'm a lot more aware now of the world around me than before (although I still have a long way to go) and I am aware of the privilege I have. I hope to do more to educate those around me and and help more.
4) Became more independent.
I mean this one goes without saying given that I moved to Spain on my own and all that but I just feel like a more independent person. I appreciate my friends for the people they are rather than as people to keep me company (which is what it feels like a bit when you're at school and stuff). I will get on trains and planes on my own without issues. I'm content in my own company and usually feel safe on my own. I don't need anyone else but it's nice to have people around.
5) NO COKE
Unsurprisingly, this is my biggest achievement of 2014. I'm just overwhelmed and astounded that I even managed to do it. (Touch wood, I am writing this with two days to go, I should be fine though). I think the fact I never made a big thing of it before it happened helped a lot - I decided to do it half an hour before 2014 started, so I didn't have enough time to make it a massive deal or talk myself into/out of it. Also I don't think I would have managed it without my 'Don't Break the Chain!' app or support from people around me in the early days. Past the first fortnight (the longest I'd ever done) it was all kind of easy from there. 365 days without it is amazing to me. This is the first time I've ever stuck to/achieved one of my new years' resolutions ever and I'm so proud of myself and now I know that I'm capable and that I have willpower. Hopefully next year I can use that willpower for something good rather than just taking something bad away.
2014 was just the best year. It was another big Robbie year (yes, I'm obsessed still, why are you shocked?) - I finally got to the barrier of a show (still not front row but I'll get there) and saw him two other times, making it 3 times I saw him this year, in Leeds and Newcastle (best city ever). I had a lot of interaction with him too, via his media team at least. I got a few tweets and a facebook comment and a chat on Upfront and his instagram account posted a photo of my bed. I know this all sounds ridiculous but there's nothing like some Robbie banter to cheer up a dark day. I bought tickets to see him next year in Barcelona which I am SO excited for.
Speaking of tickets, I also have tickets for Take That, Ed Sheeran, Ben Howard and One Direction. 2014 has been a poor year (like all the others) but 2015 will be wonderful in terms of live music for me.
This year I became 'Auntie Katy' to a 13 year old, an 11 year old, a 6 year old, a 4 year old and a 3 year old. I know that's not how it normally works but such is life. I don't want to get soppy on such a public forum but I really am very happy to have all these new wonderful people in my family. Plus 'Auntie Katy' just works so well, especially from the mouth of a Geordie four year old.
I took a little solo holiday (well, I spent it with my Nana and Granda but it was a last minute trip and I flew alone so it counts) to Lanzarote for a nice post-second year week of relaxation and siesta and it was perfect.
I realised just how great my friends are when they presented me with a scrapbook with our friendship in paper form and then continued to talk to me even when I pissed off to Spain. I miss them a lot but I feel like I have proper life lasting friendships with that lot, whether it be via Whatsapp, Viber, email or coming to visit me in the toon. 161 Dereham Road will always have a special place in my heart. Also in 2014, LCS became a massive part of my life. We're so tight-knit and have a great bond, but that could be because we're too weird to have other friends. Who knows? I also have found wonderful pals out in Alicante. We may only have known each other 4 months but doing something as massive as move country lets you get all the small talk out of the way pretty quickly.
This year I cooked my first full roast dinner on my own. It was beautiful. I also perfected my fish pie making technique. I eat vegetables voluntarily now. I really really like kinder buenos. My hair is now 1/3 natural colour, which I feel like is an achievement for having the willpower not to dye over nasty dark roots. I watched every episode of Grey's Anatomy, that's an achievement surely? I set up this blog and have recently hit 6000 page views (thank you thank you!) and I am immensely proud of keeping it going this long. I set myself a challenge to read 12 books and I actually read 24 so I am very happy with that!
My Spanish ability has gone through the roof (as one would hope) and I can now have a whole conversation about something other than the environment or immigration which is wonderful. My listening and reading have gotten so much better, writing less so but there's still time.
2014 was the year I learnt to like me. I am a fab person. So much of the time we are taught that we're not good enough and society tells us we need to do this and look like that and act like them and that it's not right to love yourself and I don't care anymore. I would gladly hang out with me 100% of the time. TREAT YOSELF is a mantra I like to live by. Life is too short to try and please anyone else. Focus on yourself a lil bit. Keep yourself happy. If tickets to see your favourite musician makes you happy, buy them. If going out and getting drunk makes you happy, spend all your money on wine. If feeding your wanderlust with plane tickets makes you happy, go buy shares in Ryanair. DO WHAT YOU WANT. Don't listen to boring people who tell you to invest your money in bonds or stocks or whatever. YOLO.
I learnt that Spain is hard but I can deal with it. I am resilient and resourceful and respectful and responsible and all the other 5 Rs +1 that they teach at the learning village (reference to my high school there, soz to all that don't understand). I learnt that my soul is northern but there will always be a part of my heart that belongs to Norwich. UEA is where I belong and I'm so proud to go there and I will forever have that university associated with me. I learnt that I am a home bird and that home will always be Northumberland, no matter where I end up. My family are the best and I am very lucky to be related to people I would choose to hang around with, rather than being forced to.
I can only hope that 2015 can live up to how much I enjoyed 2014, and maybe even be better.
Obviously next year I already have my five gigs lined up which is suuuuuuper exciting and I can't bloody wait. It's exciting enough having a Rob show to look forward to but I think Take That will be amazing too, despite their number having diminished somewhat. If their new album weren't so good I wouldn't have bothered but it's soooo good and some of the songs I can already envisage staging and crowd participation and then also old classics like Greatest Day and Rule the World will never stop being fab. And then Ed Sheeran at Wembley I just know will be amaaaaaazing. Ben Howard I'm now a little skeptical of given some weird reviews of his recent show at UEA. I feel like he wants to be a musician and perform the show he wants to, and his management want to sell tickets and have him put on a show of his classics and that might contradict itself a lot when it comes to entertaining arenas. I don't know, we'll see. AND THEN ONE DIRECTION. I don't even care that I will be at the very back of the arena and won't be able to hear a thing over the screams because I'll be in the room and I will finally get to see them after 4 long years of schedules that didn't match up. Super super excited.
I get to drink coke again!! A tiny part of me wants to continue my ban because of health benefits/the extra challenge but the rest of me is so curious to see if I hate it. I really don't want to have wasted a year of my life and ruined the joy I got from coke. But if I do hate it then I will have broken my addiction for good which is a wonderful thing. At this rate, I have replaced my coke addiction with kinder buenos. It's so unfair that in Spain they sell them in packs of three for €2 so it's too much of a bargain and I can't resist. But it's okay, I'll get over it. Maybe.
2015 sees the second half of my year abroad which I really want to take advantage of and do properly and not spend all my time in Alicante. It will also mark the beginning of my final year at UEA, for which I am both incredibly excited but really sad because I don't want UEA to end. I feel like school and sixth form dragged on sooooo long so how have I possible been a university student for two and a half years, it's ridiculous. I really want to do well in my fourth year and then in my whole degree overall.
Other goals include:
- Be more positive
- Get rid of the majority of my possessions in an effort to be more minimalist
- Read 30 books
- Watch 25 'decent' films (ie ones that pass the bechdel test)
- Explore España
- Get a first for semester 1 of fourth year
- Be healthier
- Meet Robbie Williams (who said goals were realistic?)
- Save money
- Grow my hair out so it's all my natural colour
- Be more adventurous when cooking
- Blog more
- Keep my coke addiction under control (aka don't go back to drinking it all day every day)
- Speak more Spanish
I don't think I'm doing another crazy challenge but this could all change. Here's to a good year, pals.
Until next time, hasta luego.
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