Thinking about 2022
Welcoming the new year isn't always about looking forward, rather reflecting back to move forward.
2022 has been a momentous year for me. I have achieved so much in, realistically, a very short space a time. I have travelled America and went to a children's overnight camp to teach Sports Fitness which is an experience I have wanted to do from a very young age. I have captained a performance badminton squad which taught me many things about leadership, communication, and respect. I have lost friends but gained many more. 2022 has been a wild ride.
In January of this year, I was anxious about my degree, knowing that if I worked hard enough, I could achieve that First. In June, I woke up in panic at camp, rushing to the staff pavilion where my phone was locked in a small locker, frantically checking my university email to see if I'd done it. I'd never burst out in tears of joy before. This woman, who had been snubbed of the top grades at every point in her school years of getting the best grades in English, her most beloved subject, was graduating with a First Class degree from one of the top institutions in the UK and indeed the world. The hard work had been worth it.
At camp, I tried new things and pushed myself out my comfort zone: I tried horse-riding for the first time; I flew on a trapeze; I stood up whilst water-skiing for the first time then face-planted into the water. During my time in America, I felt both alone and scared at points, thrilled and in awe at others. My 2022 summer in America is one that I'll never forget and if anything, it has made me more resilient that I could've ever imagined.
Exeter was a closed chapter when I moved to Glasgow to pursue a masters' degree in Fantasy Literature at UoG. Exe will always hold a special place in my heart but I wanted a change. And did I get it. I'd been scared of big-city life but now I love it and thrive there. By wandering around the Fresher's Fayre, nonchalantly approaching The Glasgow Guardian stall and then going on to write for them since September, I am passionate about pursuing a career in Sports Journalism which would incorporate a number of my skills and interests: research, writing, and general love of sport.
I have done four official gigs as a early-career stand-up comedian and I think I'm only going to get better. I still play high-level badminton and I am looking forward to many of the competitions that I was involved in at Exeter University just repping some new colours this time around.
2022 has also seen for its low moment too, which sadly, were probably what I dwelt on the most. I had ended a friendship after a series of relationship breakdowns in the latter part of 2021 which followed me into the start of 2022 with someone who I trusted and had called a best friend. I lost my grandfather, who was an incredible man, avid Leicester Tigers fan, and the forever-loving companion of my fierce and powerful grandmother who we lost in early-2019. I've had other relationship breakdowns or ones that have simply fizzled out. I have had people not support me in the way I thought they ought to when they hold the label of 'friend'.
But amongst all this, I have achieved a degree, travelled America, moved to a new city, discovered an entryway into a career I am passionate about, played tons of badminton, laughed over a thousand times with friends and family, and made some lifelong memories.
This year, I have made pivotal decisions in my personal, academic, and work life, all of which I would not change for better or worse. 2022 has only expanded my worldview and helped me to grow as a writer, learner, and more generally, a person. I can't wait for what 2023 has in store.
