A Year of Earl Grey and Bubble Tea
It is the 31st of December 2017 (already!) and the new year is only hours away. I’m a staunch believer in not needing a new year to start a resolution but I am also of the belief that sometimes one cannot help but think of a couple in their mind. I have resolutions that I try to stick to throughout the year and I have no idea how many of them end up being successful.
Right now, however, I’m in London. Hence, I’ve been too busy catching up with family and old friends (as well as studying for January exams) to update my blog about Venice. But even looking at my Journey through Earl Grey and Bubble Tea, what a year it has been!
January 1st is also the anniversary of EGBT, my blog. It was created out of a new year’s resolution to leave my house more in South Korea, visit more places and finally realise my passion, writing. I always spoke about a desire to blog and create content but those were just empty words. I finally gained the courage to put words into actions and create something visible to show my friends and family what I have been up too and, finally to keep my own travel journey in one place. Almost like a diary if you will because first and foremost I write for myself.
Looking back on the year using EGBT as a reference, a lot has happened. I started my year in Hong Kong with colleagues and visiting one of my closest friends. I ventured around Korea to places like Sokcho, Busan and Jeju Island. I visited some of the best art galleries in Korea, I took my Chinese HSK proficiency test and failed. (But I also had the passion to then try again and I passed the second time). I took my TOPIK exam and passed. I got accepted into a school in Venice. I left my job and packed my bags and moved across the world from Asia to Europe to start a new chapter and now in December here I am. If someone had told me back in January where I would be in December and how my life would have played out this year, I’m not sure I would have believed them. But I could not have asked for a more progressive year.
I leave 2017 with one lesson learned: Keep trying your best and everything will fall into place, don’t worry about anything and dive head first into everything you do and follow your dreams. Resolutions aren’t just on New Year’s Eve and you really do have the power and control to change your life.
