I started 2013 by moving to London for the semester. I had dreamed of living in Great Britain since I was a tween, and I had high hopes for what the next four months would bring. I lived with five friends from my school, Ithaca College, in a small and disheveled flat north of Hyde Park. Attending classes and an internship at a film company took only a small portion of my time, with the rest of it, I explored the sides of London not typically seen by tourists. After months of living there, I had no doubt that London was a place I could be content to live for the rest of my life, even if my wallet disagreed.
Before heading home from London, I spent 2 1/2 weeks on a solo backpacking trip through Northern Europe. Starting by visiting relatives in Norway, I followed an path through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Poland. This trip was exactly the adventure I craved and I truly felt independent afterwards.
The summer rushed by and soon I was back in upstate New York at Ithaca. My semester was filled with requirements for my Cinema Production major and Anthropology minor. Although it was the most difficult work of my college career, it was by far the most rewarding. I have rethought what I might do post-graduation, and the Anthropology classes have fed my yearning to learn about the world.
In 2013, for the first time, I really felt like an adult. I signed leases, bought a car, and made decisions about my future.
Enough about me.
In 2013 the world changed in dramatic ways. The United States learned that some days the government can be so incompetent that it shuts down (and that they're watching us). A few possible cures for HIV/AIDS have been developed and are entering clinical trials. Vladimir Putin made drastic changes to the lives for LGBT people living in Russia. The government in Syria was killing thousands of their citizens with chemical weapons, almost causing an attack from the US. Ten states gained marriage equality (including my home state, Minnesota), more than doubling what it was before.
For some, this year was terrible: a typhoon devastated the Philippines, tornadoes swept across the Eastern United States, and tyrannical governments massacred their people.
For me, 2013 was pretty darn good. I am so blessed to be a part of the family I am, have the friends I have, and live in a time and place where anything can happen. Here's to making the most out of 2014, whatever may come.
