2018
I'm not usually the sort of person to type the stereotypical 'New Year' post online and on social media, in fact I don't think I've ever made one of those cringe posts about the year, until now. Yet here we are, on a new years eve 2018 reflecting and thinking about what this year has brought. A quick heads up, this post hasn't been edited well but, if you've not much better to do, please go ahead and read on.
I'm so lucky to have had some incredible experiences in 2018 with some incredible people.Whether that's friends at Warwick who got me through the hell that is EC226: Econometrics, the friends I've made since moving to Canada or the people who've I've known for years, I'm so so grateful.
At the start of the year, I wasn't really sure what I was signing myself up for, splitting myself across 3 continents and not really having a purpose for it. I've tried to embrace a care-free 'why not?' attitude and so far it's been a good, even if it has left me stranded in suburbs of Amsterdam in the early hours of the morning trying to find my way with a dead phone battery. Or the time 2 of us took a trip on back of some random boda boda drivers we found on the opposite side of the street. Within a day of arriving we'd ended up travelling with absolutely no idea who we were with, where we were going or any way to contact the others if things led astray. There's been lots of ups and, on occasions, downs, but it's been an absolute blast.
In terms of highlights, Camping in Algonquin was my first time camping, canoeing and trekking into the Canadian outdoors. 2 Brits, a Norwegian, a Hungarian and a Pole; all later becoming some of my best friends here, made our way on a 5 hour drive, followed by a 3 hour canoe across The Lake of Two Rivers in which we saw moose, an unforgettable view of the stars from the lake and, eventually, sat under the stars beneath the campfire. Everything about the trip was incredible and I loved every second of it - I can't wait to get back doing similar adventures here once the weather picks up!
Climbing the Uluguru Mountains in Morogoro, Tanzania, was a hike none of us were at all prepared for. Led by Yesaya, one of the local teachers, we started the ascent at 6:30am and eventually made it back down by 8pm. The trail to the top was gruelling, with sections where we were scrambling our way up in jeans and trainers, yet we made it up in 6 hours to a peak which was 2,100km above sea level. Unfortunately the cloud at the top meant we didn't get much of a view, but everything about the experience was something else.
Also, on the last day of my time at one of the secondary schools in Tanzania, I gave out feedback forms to the pupils so that they could write comments about what they've enjoyed about the classes. When I got the opportunity to read back over 150 of them containing overwhelming comments like "Sir Joshua please come back of soon", "You are a great teacher we need you back" and "I will remember your lessons forever", it really warmed my heart. It was just so nice to know that despite sometimes feeling the disappointment when lessons just didn't seem to go as well as planned, teaching's a marathon not a sprint!
Seeing Cheylesmore Good Neighbours, the charity I'd been working with to promote computer skills for older generations in Coventry, grow from strength to strength has also been a huge highlight. Expanding the sessions to 4 locations and doubling the amount of sessions was brilliant to see. While it's been sad not being involved since I moved to Canada, I was lucky enough to hand the project over to two incredibly talented and gifted new project leaders, alongside Alex and Yvonne, so I can't wait to see what an impact they've made next year.
A less significant, but ultimately as memorable as the previous, was watching England win on penalties against Columbia in the last 16 of the World Cup. Standing in a packed pub in the middle of Accrington, seeing the place erupt while with some of my closest mates was a moment I won't forget until at least the next world cup when England go one step further and bring the trophy home.
Yet, it hasn't been plain sailing all the way. I don't usually talk about struggles, or in general, disclose much about myself online. The new experiences, particularly moving to Canada, has at times left me feeling isolated, disorientated and generally struggling to feel like I fit in. While I'd say I've gotten to know some brilliant people and, hopefully, some friends for life; it's been hard for me to really feel settled. In the last couple of months, I really wasn't sure why I was still there and whether it was time to call it quits on the year abroad. It's an odd scenario, moving to a different country and because of the nature of years abroad, being stuck in your "exchange bubble". Going into next year, I'm hoping that I can get over this and really make the most of the final term and make some more brilliant memories.
I've got a lot of ideas and time and I'm hoping to put that into something I'm really passionate about. I also need to read more books, get fitter and play guitar more, so we'll see how it all goes and whether I can stick to these resolutions!
If you've made it to the end, well done and sorry there's no prize. Yet I hope you're incredible levels of patience reward you with a brilliant 2019.
I'm so lucky to have had some incredible experiences in 2018 with some incredible people.Whether that's friends at Warwick who got me through the hell that is EC226: Econometrics, the friends I've made since moving to Canada or the people who've I've known for years, I'm so so grateful.
At the start of the year, I wasn't really sure what I was signing myself up for, splitting myself across 3 continents and not really having a purpose for it. I've tried to embrace a care-free 'why not?' attitude and so far it's been a good, even if it has left me stranded in suburbs of Amsterdam in the early hours of the morning trying to find my way with a dead phone battery. Or the time 2 of us took a trip on back of some random boda boda drivers we found on the opposite side of the street. Within a day of arriving we'd ended up travelling with absolutely no idea who we were with, where we were going or any way to contact the others if things led astray. There's been lots of ups and, on occasions, downs, but it's been an absolute blast.
In terms of highlights, Camping in Algonquin was my first time camping, canoeing and trekking into the Canadian outdoors. 2 Brits, a Norwegian, a Hungarian and a Pole; all later becoming some of my best friends here, made our way on a 5 hour drive, followed by a 3 hour canoe across The Lake of Two Rivers in which we saw moose, an unforgettable view of the stars from the lake and, eventually, sat under the stars beneath the campfire. Everything about the trip was incredible and I loved every second of it - I can't wait to get back doing similar adventures here once the weather picks up!
Climbing the Uluguru Mountains in Morogoro, Tanzania, was a hike none of us were at all prepared for. Led by Yesaya, one of the local teachers, we started the ascent at 6:30am and eventually made it back down by 8pm. The trail to the top was gruelling, with sections where we were scrambling our way up in jeans and trainers, yet we made it up in 6 hours to a peak which was 2,100km above sea level. Unfortunately the cloud at the top meant we didn't get much of a view, but everything about the experience was something else.
Also, on the last day of my time at one of the secondary schools in Tanzania, I gave out feedback forms to the pupils so that they could write comments about what they've enjoyed about the classes. When I got the opportunity to read back over 150 of them containing overwhelming comments like "Sir Joshua please come back of soon", "You are a great teacher we need you back" and "I will remember your lessons forever", it really warmed my heart. It was just so nice to know that despite sometimes feeling the disappointment when lessons just didn't seem to go as well as planned, teaching's a marathon not a sprint!
Seeing Cheylesmore Good Neighbours, the charity I'd been working with to promote computer skills for older generations in Coventry, grow from strength to strength has also been a huge highlight. Expanding the sessions to 4 locations and doubling the amount of sessions was brilliant to see. While it's been sad not being involved since I moved to Canada, I was lucky enough to hand the project over to two incredibly talented and gifted new project leaders, alongside Alex and Yvonne, so I can't wait to see what an impact they've made next year.
A less significant, but ultimately as memorable as the previous, was watching England win on penalties against Columbia in the last 16 of the World Cup. Standing in a packed pub in the middle of Accrington, seeing the place erupt while with some of my closest mates was a moment I won't forget until at least the next world cup when England go one step further and bring the trophy home.
Yet, it hasn't been plain sailing all the way. I don't usually talk about struggles, or in general, disclose much about myself online. The new experiences, particularly moving to Canada, has at times left me feeling isolated, disorientated and generally struggling to feel like I fit in. While I'd say I've gotten to know some brilliant people and, hopefully, some friends for life; it's been hard for me to really feel settled. In the last couple of months, I really wasn't sure why I was still there and whether it was time to call it quits on the year abroad. It's an odd scenario, moving to a different country and because of the nature of years abroad, being stuck in your "exchange bubble". Going into next year, I'm hoping that I can get over this and really make the most of the final term and make some more brilliant memories.
I've got a lot of ideas and time and I'm hoping to put that into something I'm really passionate about. I also need to read more books, get fitter and play guitar more, so we'll see how it all goes and whether I can stick to these resolutions!
If you've made it to the end, well done and sorry there's no prize. Yet I hope you're incredible levels of patience reward you with a brilliant 2019.
Comments
Post a Comment