November 9th, or what is the same, the day before my birthday. Thus it is time to look back at this year of 29. And what a year! I jokingly call it the year of the islands, but let's do things in order.
During this year, my first full year as a PhD lots of things happened. Because I had finished my PhD it was time for me to find my following position, ideally in academia. This did not come easy, I tried to apply for grants, but I either got rejected or did not fulfill the criteria. I sent emails almost begging for a position, anywhere, but yet, nothing seemed to work. A heavy bout of imposter's syndrome and depression did not help (add that having to move back to my parents and feeling like a failure in life too), for sure, but then I saw the light in form of a unique opportunity. An opportunity that has taken me to move away from home and into Paris, a city I have always loved, a city I have always thought I'd love to live in. I have been here a little more than two months and I still can't believe my luck, not only because of the city itself but because of the professional opportunities that my first post-doc is giving me.
This year has also given me travels, and thus why the year of the islands, Lanzarote, Iceland, Paris (Île de France, literally Island of France, so shut up), and UK. Lanzarote was my vacations after defending my PhD and my first time in the Canary Islands, getting tanned in December is a strange feeling, but a cool one. However, during those vacations, I was busy with work, which made it a bit stressful at times. Iceland was a chance of a lifetime, a unique opportunity to travel somewhere I had always wanted to go, only marred by the fact that I could not go around an explore at my own pace, but nevertheless, Iceland is heima and I know I will return to the midnight sun and the auroras borealis. Paris, Paris, Paris, I flew here first in July for the job interview trying to soak as much of it as I could, knowing that it was my shot to be able to come live here but scared that I had screwed it up (I had never been so nervous in my life while giving a presentation), fortunately, everything turned out great and I am writing this post from the city of lights. And then, UK which was my first trip for work in here and also my first time taking the train across the channel, which is not as exciting as it sounds. I barely had time to see anything in London, the days being filled with the workshop and the nights needed for as much rest as we could get, but still, I did get a taste of a city that I was visiting for the third time.
Other things that I did this year,... I did finish writing a novel which is actually book 1 of a series and now I'm basically procrastinating over it. I went to some weddings, which is not news anymore, and I think that is about it.
On personal growth, well I learnt that sometimes you need to take the first step and ask for forgiveness (and that dreams are bitches) and that sometimes it is very very very hard to let go (and sometimes it is made harder) so hard that in truth you don't want to let go. I have also learnt to follow my gut and not try to rationalize everything because it only makes it worse. Finally, I have realized that once everything in your live starts fitting together, you start missing things that you don't have and don't even know how to get.
I still can't believe that these are my last hours as a 20-something. And I still can't believe that 30 sounded so scary some years ago (I also cannot believe that everyone keeps asking me whether I am married and have kids, like shut up people!)
