2018

Well as anyone who has watched the news knows, 2018 has been quite the year. Anyone who knows me also knows that this has been a big year of change for me. I left my job at the University of Chicago Press and packed up to go to grad school in Ireland. There are a lot of ups and downs that go with that, so I can't pick just one good memory from 2018 so I'm going to pick several and write about them in no particular order.

1. At my cohort's holiday party there was a moment when I felt so at peace. I was sitting in a comfy chair in the corner of Dillon's living room, near the fireplace that only held a few lit candles and not a roaring fire fit for chestnuts. I was soaking up all of the talk and laughter of my cohort spread throughout the house and still enjoying the taste of our potluck dinner and mulled wine. Odile was playing ukulele in her chair and I just thought to myself, "Remember this moment."
2. My high school friends and I do a secret gift exchange every year. This year it was called Secret Something-or-Other (naming gets hard after a few years) and we gathered at my friend Emily's house (she's an older friend, but is the kind of real adult who has a house so we met up there). After we'd done the gift exchange, Jeffrey revealed that there was still one more present to give. Jeff handed over a very sweet card (which I have since learned Ami picked out--well done) and in it was another card with a set of selfies I'd taken with everyone (and one cropped group photo of me and Anton because apparently we don't do selfies, whoops). It was so kind on its own and then Jeff revealed that there was more to it. My friends had decided to chip in and pay for my ticket home from Ireland in June. I was so touched. It told me that they supported me, but also that they couldn't wait to have me home again. I really have the best friends.
3. Getting into grad school certainly has to be up there in best 2018 moments. I had already been rejected from two programs, so I'd kinda given up hope that I'd get in everywhere. It took a few emails to the head of the writing department to get my final acceptance, but he told me it was, in part, my persistence that landed me my spot.
4. Meeting up with murderinos in Galway made me finally feel a bit at home in Galway. I had been so lonely for the first few weeks in Galway and I felt a bit apprehensive when I posted on the Irish Murderinos Facebook page asking if anyone was in Galway and if they wanted to meetup, but luckily people responded quickly. While we've had many great meet-ups, I was so thrilled after our first one. I felt for the first time in Galway that I had friends. Since then, I'd say the murderinos are some of my closest friends in Galway. I'll be forever appreciative to Karen and Georgia for linking me to a community when I felt the most alone.
5. My going away party was also one of my top moments. So many people were able to come and even though some people had to arrive late and/or earlier, it was great that so many came to wish me bon voyage. It's hard to get my different groups of friends together in one place, but for at least a bit, I was able to get a ton of them together.

(Prompt by Kimisha Cassidy)