I’m heading back to Athens, Greece in 2017! I will continue to volunteer at HD, though in time I’ve been away, we already have another participant and our first baby. Things should continue to be interesting and challenging at work, which is exactly how I like it. On the social end of things, it will be so nice to return to my own apartment and my own cat, to grow already existing friendships instead of creating new ones from scratch.
One of the strange things about moving to a new city is how long the process of finding friends really is. It’s easy to meet new people, but sometimes you don’t realize that you don’t click until a month or two in, and sometimes you immediately click but your schedules never match up. It takes time to find the people who will be a consistent, fun, and supportive presence in your life. Luckily, I did most of that work last year, so I get to reap the rewards and jump right back into hanging out with Luciana, Giorgos, Kendra, and Rosie.
Most of my goals for next year are the same as last: keep learning Greek, keep traveling, keep figuring out what to do next year. The fact that I am kind of reliving my year makes me want to die, though, so here are some new goals. Never be stagnant!
This year I want to travel solo. There are often deals on Ryanair that offer flights for only €10 each way, but I pass them by because I can’t find anyone willing to spontaneously go on a weekend trip. Why waste the opportunity? And honestly, the more I think about it, the more fun it sounds to wander Budapest on my own.
Hm. That’s honestly the only new thing I can think of. Maybe I would want to join a dance class or something? One of those ridiculous hipster dance classes that focuses on body positivity that Luciana told me about. Or self-defense! I don’t know, and probably I wouldn’t spend money on something like that, but I’ll keep my eyes open.
Other than those things, I really am just going to focus on: keep learning Greek. Keep trying to figure out what the next step is. Keep enjoying where I am while I’m there.
Bring it, 2017!
It Is Trish 