Hello,
humans.
2017
is coming to an end, and I believe that it was better than 2016. Even
though it had hurricanes, horrible terrorist attacks, and Maryam
Mirzakhani's death, many good things happened, too. It was a
particularly good year for women. The Women's March happened, we had
trends like #MeToo and Nevertheless, she persisted, females
are now allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, and Malala Yousafzai
started going to school at Oxford. In other news, the world economy
is growing, teen pregnancy is falling, and the Islamic State's
territorial base was destroyed. Also, the aid that victims of
terrible tragedies received proved that solidarity still survives in
the world. Humanity's boldness was represented by the millions who
stood up against injustice in many ways, like resisting unfair laws
and bills and publicly speaking up against sexual harassment.
Boy,
this was an exciting year for me! I traveled abroad, to Switzerland
in April and to Argentina in September, to participate in
international math contests for the first time. I had the honor of
being part of the first Costa Rican delegation for the EGMO, and it
was quite thrilling (haha). I also had to give a talk and a
few interviews because of that *hair flip*. On a national level, I
won two medals, one silver and one gold. Winning gold in the National
Olympiad was an extremely unexpected but hugely magnificent blessing.
At
the beginning of the year, I went to my first Young Life camp.
I met wonderful people through it, and even though I haven't been
able to go to as many reunions as I'd like to, I'm glad to be part of
that group.
Oh,
and I finished my first year of the IB. Wow. That was another roller
coaster. I don't understand how I made it. I was pushed past my
breaking point multiple times, and I'm both surprised by and grateful
for my survival. It really shaped me as a person by helping me build
character and develop many new skills, like time and crisis
management. Next year will be worse though (kuddos to everyone who
has told me that), but at least I'm already more than halfway through
in regard to time.
Honestly,
this wouldn't be a good recap of 2017 if I didn't mention that this
was the year of Finally Giving Into K-Pop. Boy am I hooked. I
discovered a whole new universe full of art. It has everything; the
music, the dancing, the singing and rapping, the concepts, the
visuals,... every single detail is amazing. I am constantly learning
more and more about it every day, and I hope to continue doing so (to
my family's dismay) in 2018. Through it I also rediscovered my hidden
passion for dancing. It had always been there, but I kind of
repressed it until this year. Having a couple of dance presentations
with my awesome friends was loads of fun, and I look forward to do
more if we get the chance.
On
a deeper level, 2017 was a year of growth. I built my character and
developed new skills, like I mentioned before. I really grew in the
area of interpersonal relationships, even though I still have a lot
more to go. I became more loving, affectionate, and wise. I honestly
feel like I'm a very different person than I was at the start of the
year, which is weird because I've never felt that way before. I know
myself better. Most importantly, I've made the decision to address my
health in 2018. In other words, and speaking like a writer, I
successfully overcame conflict, resulting in ample character
development. If this part of my life was a story, 2017 would be the
year of exposition and rising action. That means that 2018 will be
the year of climax, falling action, and resolution. Great. I'm
totally not terrified.
Really,
I can't believe I'm still alive. Man, what a year. I completely loved
it.
2018
will be a very challenging year for me. It's my last year of high school,
and the grades I get in the IB will most likely define my future.
I'll have to start applying for college. If I want to get into
Cambridge, I'll have to get excellent grades and win a couple of
international awards. I'll also turn 18, which legally makes me an
adult in a lot of countries, including my own. No pressure, really.
Haha. I'm sure everything will turn out incredible, even better than
in 2017. Yeah. God is in control.
At
the end of last year's post, I asked 2017 to come at me, and God did
it do that with a terrible strength. However, I rarely learn from
these type of experiences, so I'd like to test my luck again. 2018,
come at me, bro.
Best
wishes for 2018. May it be as lovely and fruitful for you as my 2017
was for me.
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