Saturday, January 1, 2011

2010

2010 has been the best year of my life.


University seems like ancient history and it's been only 6,5 months since my last class. As university was never an important thing for me, this period of my life has been almost forgotten a month after graduation. In August, whenever someone asked me about my studies, I would be honestly surprised that I'd been attending university only a couple of weeks back. July and August had been so hectic and eventful that I was already in a different reality, far away from school and obligation.

Then, a random meeting and a decision to take off on a backpacking trip to Indonesia. Finally got to Asia, finally backpacked, finally was turning my dreams into reality. And that 2 minutes when I made up my mind about going might have been the most important 2 minutes in my recent history, as the whole experience gave me so much self-confidence and faith that now I don't see how I could, nor why in the world I should stop living whatever life I choose for myself.

An amazing journey which I am most certain will continue this year. And the years after that one.
Because once you feel the happiness and a sense of achievement which come with living the dream, you never want to come back to reality. By reality I mean following a certain path that I don't know why and when has been written into our consciousness as the right one. But what is right for me, doesn't have to be right for you. Or her, or them, or him for that matter.
Ergo, there is no right way. There's my way, your way, his and hers.

It's been a year filled with most amazing acquaintances. Some of those ended happily, others not so much as it turns out. But no matter what the relation I'm in with those people right now, on a personal level it's always been beneficial. I've learnt many lessons and got myself out there, opened myself up to new ways of living, new concepts, new experiences. More than ever, I believe there are genuinely good people in this world. Amazing people who enrich your life in a way that is unimaginable until your paths cross and they blow you away.

New organizations in my life- joining AIESEC has had a lot of influence on me. Not so much @ itself but some of the people I've met there. However, the biggest joy of all was the decision to keep on discovering the world of CouchSurfers. It has completely changed the way I travel and I never want to taste new places without them.

Impactful books which have helped me understand myself better, change the way I see my life and others. Books that motivated me, inspired to move on, stick to what I want in life. Most of all, words of wisdom which convinced me that to want is to be able to.

Travels. Not one big lesson learnt but a thousand small ones.

Family and seeing their support, which means the world to me.


When I was thinking about it a couple of days ago it hit me that I've lived a couple of different lives in 2010. Or chapters, if you will.

January and February were very busy with dance, especially with dancehall. 
March and April were pretty sad because of an injury I had, walking with crutchers, trying to get back into shape. 
June was mostly about finishing my thesis and finally graduating university.
July was trying to decide what to do next, being more active in Warsaw CS, joining @, an amazing 2 weeks long CS trip to Brussels and Paris, the rocking time I had in Paris.
August was all about salsa, bachata, @ and our crazy parties.
September was being insane and buying tickets to embark on a huge adventure 2 weeks later. Walking through the gardens of Versaille, spending my bday in Dinsneyland, seeing the pyramids and ancient tombs in Cairo, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
October was learning more about myself and how other people behave, riding a motorbike and partying on Bali, chilling on Gili Islands, the most amazing and rewarding volcano trek, having a LOTR moment on the Rinjani's summit and my 1st surf lesson on Lombok, meeting amazing people from around the world and wining some $ in a dance contest while being back on Bali, seeing my best friend in her new Indonesian home on Java, meeting  the best kind of people in Kuala Lumpur, visiting N, a friend I hadn't seen for years, in London.
November was supposed to be rather boring but turned out to be everything but. Meeting my boss and deciding on flying down to India, some @, saying 'hi' to friends after Indonesia and at the same time already saying 'bye' before India. Cooking parties with friends and putting on a lot of weight, very laid back couple of days.
December, the new adventure began. Reuniting with B in Vienna, tasting luxury and visiting castles in Slovakia, discovering a bit of Mumbai and going to the beach while my friends make snowmen back home.


I've smiled, laughed, learnt, been loved, been shown affection, been welcomed by strangers with arms wide open. I've been let down by people I believed would be in my life forever, been gossiped about, criticized, I cried and hurt.

I've lived.

2 komentarze:

dg said...

Awesome! You are a great person, I am so proud that you going out and living life, so very few people do. I knew India would be a great experience. Let's try to meet up in 11. I hope to travel again in the spring. I will return to Japan then hope to make a trip to Bangladesh with a friend I met in Koh Phi Phi. Will you still be in India in late May?

Magu Bee said...

Thanks for the words of encouragement!

Unfortunately my visa ends in March and I'm heading back to Europe. When are you going back to Japan? It'd be awsome to meet up somewhere :)