My Facebook Year in Review is a Letter to My Past... and My Present
My year in review on Facebook reads like a letter to my past self. And since I promised myself I could write a blog entry if I finished my flash cards before the tea party today, I thought that's what I'd talk about.
The facebook thing goes in order from present to past, but I'm going to switch that around for the sake of making sense. When I shared it on facebook I said "My year in review is like a letter to my past self, saying "don't give up, you really will get to do all those cool things you wanted to do in your life."" I really think, if my past self got to see everything I would do I probably wouldn't believe it. Looking back, I hardly believe it now.
The first thing it says is "Started School at DIS - Danish Institute for Study Abroad". I hugged my parents, then turned away and walked through security wearing a long black coat, a black hat, and dragging a spotted suitcase. I presented my shiny new passport and took the first step into an adventure I'd been dreaming of for a large portion of my life. How long have I longed to go abroad? And here it finally was. 2012 was a year of doing big things.
My year in review then reminds me of different adventures I went on while abroad. Above is from my short study tour to Odense and Aarhus.
Then facebook would like to remind me that I went to Istanbul, Turkey. I honestly cannot believe I got to go on that trip. I need to go back. I want to see more. The experience was like nothing I'd ever seen before, and I felt something new when I stepped inside those mosques I visited. The calm, peacefulness of a place that had been filled with prayer for centuries... Looking back, I also now know that I was having a bit of a panic event and when I went into the mosques I slowed down and was forced to think, breathe deeply, etc. That probably explains why I felt like they were literally giant repositories of peace and... well, and sanity. My head cleared when I covered it with a scarf, took off my shoes, and knelt in a corner somewhere for a little while, just being.
The next thing that facebook shows is "The Rosy Falafel Glasses of Nostalgia" which (of course) is my album of pictures from the start of my tour of Europe with The Mob. During this tour I really got to know him better, and I remember having this distinct feeling after, like I could never think of him in the same way again. In a lot of ways, that trip was about two weeks of me falling even further in love.
I was even tagged in The Mob's photos... and I think that you can see it in my eyes (at least in the pictures where I'm not making a silly face). We were already dating when we went abroad, but when we were finally together for the only time in what felt like forever, and then we saw London, and Paris, and Venice (which felt like a dream), and we spent those days in Cardiff and in Copenhagen being tired and happy and together... well, I'm getting sappy.
But seriously... I am so glad we spent our spring breaks together.
Oh, also, 2012 was the year I became a Nerdfighter. If you don't know what that is... don't worry about it, I still love you.
And then... then Facebook reminds me I went to Poland, where I visited Auschwitz, which was... life changing. Eye opening. Mind boggling. The entire trip was amazing, really.
I turned 21.
I became close friends with a Danish film student that I now miss dearly.
And then I continued on and went to Russia. After already being away from home for four months I said goodbye to Copenhagen, to my friends from DIS, to my Danish friends. I went to Cardiff and said hellogoodbye to The Mob, and flew out of London far too soon, launching myself into another life changing adventure. I spent six weeks in Vladimir, Russia. I got to know another MHC student very well. I got to know my lovely host mother, a woman who took care of me as if I were her actual daughter.
Of course I made Russian friends too. Just looking back at those pictures... gosh, I miss it. I want to go back. I want to walk up and down the hot concrete streets. I want to struggle to ask what something's called and ask what it's name is instead. ("What is this bird named?" "Steve." "Really? Oh. Hey! You know what I meant!" "It's a pigeon.") I want to pay 30 cents to take the trollybus from Lenin St. to the Golden Gate. I want to count the number of people getting married that we pass as we walk to classes. I miss it, it was the most intense and also the most relaxed six weeks of studying ever.
When I returned from Russia, I was plunged straight into a lot of things. My family was moving, I was going back to work, my brother's school situation was still unsettled, and there was a presidential campaign going on aggressively in the background. I'm proud to say that 2012 was the year that I voted in my first election, and we elected Barack Obama for a second term. (And also, also, also, my state elected Elizabeth Warren and I am more than thrilled.)
After half a summer at the Castle, leading tours, I found myself back on campus, part of choral bootcamp, wearing my graduation garb and festive green. My gosh, I look so young.
And all these pictures of singing leads me to reflect on my choral experience. I don't think one single organization has had as much an impact on me as Chorale. There I met my best friends, I learned how to be a leader by watching my peers, I built strong bonds with my fellow sopranos, and of course my singing has improved by leaps and bounds. One of the most amazing things is that I have gotten to watch, almost in slow motion and almost too quickly, as I transformed from a scared first-year looking up to the seniors into that responsible senior, mentoring scared first-years. Looking back I can see myself clearly growing as a result of MHC, and of Chorale in particular. How lucky I have been to have had this experience in my life.
And then Facebook presents you with two of my pithy status updates:
"TV marathon of Korra, Downton Abbey, and Buffy instead of homework. Good life choices. (Please no spoilers!)"
"You know, the debates would be more fun if they got shot with a paintball every time they lied..."
It turns out I added 123 friends this year between DIS, Vladimir, and new Choraliers. I don't put a lot of stock in facebook friends, but the fact that I met that many new people in a year (not to mention all those people I met that I didn't friend for whatever reason)... wow.
I would like to write more, I would like to reflect on this fall, on my life goals, on my imagined future, but if I ever want to get to that future I'm going to have to pass my final exams. Wish me luck.
The facebook thing goes in order from present to past, but I'm going to switch that around for the sake of making sense. When I shared it on facebook I said "My year in review is like a letter to my past self, saying "don't give up, you really will get to do all those cool things you wanted to do in your life."" I really think, if my past self got to see everything I would do I probably wouldn't believe it. Looking back, I hardly believe it now.
The first thing it says is "Started School at DIS - Danish Institute for Study Abroad". I hugged my parents, then turned away and walked through security wearing a long black coat, a black hat, and dragging a spotted suitcase. I presented my shiny new passport and took the first step into an adventure I'd been dreaming of for a large portion of my life. How long have I longed to go abroad? And here it finally was. 2012 was a year of doing big things.
My year in review then reminds me of different adventures I went on while abroad. Above is from my short study tour to Odense and Aarhus.
Then facebook would like to remind me that I went to Istanbul, Turkey. I honestly cannot believe I got to go on that trip. I need to go back. I want to see more. The experience was like nothing I'd ever seen before, and I felt something new when I stepped inside those mosques I visited. The calm, peacefulness of a place that had been filled with prayer for centuries... Looking back, I also now know that I was having a bit of a panic event and when I went into the mosques I slowed down and was forced to think, breathe deeply, etc. That probably explains why I felt like they were literally giant repositories of peace and... well, and sanity. My head cleared when I covered it with a scarf, took off my shoes, and knelt in a corner somewhere for a little while, just being.
The next thing that facebook shows is "The Rosy Falafel Glasses of Nostalgia" which (of course) is my album of pictures from the start of my tour of Europe with The Mob. During this tour I really got to know him better, and I remember having this distinct feeling after, like I could never think of him in the same way again. In a lot of ways, that trip was about two weeks of me falling even further in love.
I was even tagged in The Mob's photos... and I think that you can see it in my eyes (at least in the pictures where I'm not making a silly face). We were already dating when we went abroad, but when we were finally together for the only time in what felt like forever, and then we saw London, and Paris, and Venice (which felt like a dream), and we spent those days in Cardiff and in Copenhagen being tired and happy and together... well, I'm getting sappy.
But seriously... I am so glad we spent our spring breaks together.
Oh, also, 2012 was the year I became a Nerdfighter. If you don't know what that is... don't worry about it, I still love you.
And then... then Facebook reminds me I went to Poland, where I visited Auschwitz, which was... life changing. Eye opening. Mind boggling. The entire trip was amazing, really.
I turned 21.
I became close friends with a Danish film student that I now miss dearly.
And then I continued on and went to Russia. After already being away from home for four months I said goodbye to Copenhagen, to my friends from DIS, to my Danish friends. I went to Cardiff and said hellogoodbye to The Mob, and flew out of London far too soon, launching myself into another life changing adventure. I spent six weeks in Vladimir, Russia. I got to know another MHC student very well. I got to know my lovely host mother, a woman who took care of me as if I were her actual daughter.
Of course I made Russian friends too. Just looking back at those pictures... gosh, I miss it. I want to go back. I want to walk up and down the hot concrete streets. I want to struggle to ask what something's called and ask what it's name is instead. ("What is this bird named?" "Steve." "Really? Oh. Hey! You know what I meant!" "It's a pigeon.") I want to pay 30 cents to take the trollybus from Lenin St. to the Golden Gate. I want to count the number of people getting married that we pass as we walk to classes. I miss it, it was the most intense and also the most relaxed six weeks of studying ever.
When I returned from Russia, I was plunged straight into a lot of things. My family was moving, I was going back to work, my brother's school situation was still unsettled, and there was a presidential campaign going on aggressively in the background. I'm proud to say that 2012 was the year that I voted in my first election, and we elected Barack Obama for a second term. (And also, also, also, my state elected Elizabeth Warren and I am more than thrilled.)
After half a summer at the Castle, leading tours, I found myself back on campus, part of choral bootcamp, wearing my graduation garb and festive green. My gosh, I look so young.
And all these pictures of singing leads me to reflect on my choral experience. I don't think one single organization has had as much an impact on me as Chorale. There I met my best friends, I learned how to be a leader by watching my peers, I built strong bonds with my fellow sopranos, and of course my singing has improved by leaps and bounds. One of the most amazing things is that I have gotten to watch, almost in slow motion and almost too quickly, as I transformed from a scared first-year looking up to the seniors into that responsible senior, mentoring scared first-years. Looking back I can see myself clearly growing as a result of MHC, and of Chorale in particular. How lucky I have been to have had this experience in my life.
And then Facebook presents you with two of my pithy status updates:
"TV marathon of Korra, Downton Abbey, and Buffy instead of homework. Good life choices. (Please no spoilers!)"
"You know, the debates would be more fun if they got shot with a paintball every time they lied..."
It turns out I added 123 friends this year between DIS, Vladimir, and new Choraliers. I don't put a lot of stock in facebook friends, but the fact that I met that many new people in a year (not to mention all those people I met that I didn't friend for whatever reason)... wow.
I would like to write more, I would like to reflect on this fall, on my life goals, on my imagined future, but if I ever want to get to that future I'm going to have to pass my final exams. Wish me luck.