The year is coming to an end, and just like everything else, the ultimate #weekend-engagement of the year is here. I invite you to join me in some final reflections and see what has excited me about 2024.
Before the year wraps up, I want to express my gratitude to you, dear reader, for every minute you've spent reading my articles, every vote you've given me, and especially for every comment you've left. And of course, I can't forget to thank@galenkp. Mate, thank you for everything you've taught me this year. I truly don't have enough words to express my gratitude.
Now, let's dive into the #weekend-engagement...
This year has been incredibly challenging for me. While it's the first year since returning to post-Covid normalcy, personally, it has been tough.
As I've mentioned in other articles, life in my country has been deteriorating day by day. Although I am fortunate to have a hardworking family, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find food and meet basic needs. We are living in a country that is slowly fading away.
People are living in sadness, without hope, and it spreads from one person to another. This holiday season, we all miss someone who had to emigrate in search of a better future.
Some are fortunate enough to have those individuals achieve their goals, while others simply never heard from their family members again. It's a situation that has affected an entire country, a society.
This year marked the end of a trend that had been accelerating over time. In my country, there are no longer any friends from my childhood (except for me). It's one of the most difficult things I've had to go through this year.
With each friend who left, thousands of experiences, hundreds of memories, and happy moments that will never return went with them. Of course, I'm not selfish, and I'm genuinely happy for them. It's the only way to thrive and grow as individuals. The country that witnessed our birth doesn't provide us with those opportunities.
Someday, it will be my turn to leave. Someday, we will all reunite and relive those moments that made us a family without sharing blood. That's the promise we made to each other this year.
The arrival of 2024 brings a sense of hope, not for my country, but for my family and myself.
Yesterday, our entire family gathered to discuss 2024 (as if we were a mafia family). Each person shared their expectations for the year, and together we created a set of objectives to survive the challenging year ahead.
I look forward to these family gatherings year after year. I love them, not only because they bring together the remaining family members in one place, but also because of how motivating it is to see everyone in the family wanting to improve and fight together. Regardless of our personal goals, we all prioritize family. From my grandmother to my sister, we all share the same objective: to overcome and thrive, despite the difficulties we face in our living situation.
With that being said, I already have my goals and aspirations for 2024. These goals have been discussed with my partner, and of course, we've left room for unexpected events, as they tend to happen. This conversation is another thing that excites me about the new year. Many people may not care about this, but for me, discussing New Year's goals with my partner is the best and most challenging thing there is. It's a great way to start the year, being on the same page and moving in the same direction is crucial for both of us.
The upcoming year won't be easy, but it marks the beginning of new opportunities, new learnings, and, of course, new mistakes. Whenever a year begins, I like to see it that way. It's my way of starting the year motivated and excited.
What motivates me the most this year is that by September, I'll be starting my final year of college. Although it still seems a bit far away, it motivates and excites me immensely because reaching that point has been and will continue to be a challenging process.
It's taken me five years to get here, with a pandemic, class suspensions, and an education system that has been influenced by the country's conditions. I just want to graduate, like my friends, to have the opportunity to prosper.
This past year, 2023, has affected me greatly: the separation from family members, important friends, and bidding farewell to others forever. With everything I've experienced and learned this year, I know that 2024 will be more fruitful, or at least I intend it to be. There are thousands of things I would do differently, and that's what this new year conveys to me... Reinventing myself, growing, and continuing to acquire knowledge. We'll see how the year unfolds...
For now, all that's left is for me to wish this community and you, my dear reader, a freakin' awesome year and a kickass start to the new year. If, like me, you're separated from some of your loved ones, I hope that in this 2024, y'all can get together and share some unforgettable moments.
If you wanna drop a comment, don't hesitate to do so. I'd love to know how you're spending these last hours of 2023. Here in Cuba, smack in the Caribbean, the temperatures have dropped, and it's raining non-stop. It feels more like Europe than the middle of the Caribbean, you know? So, how's the weather in your neck of the woods? How are the New Year's preparations going?
Anyway, gotta bounce now. Catch you at the first #weekend-engagement of 2024. Peace out!