In retrospect, this decade was extremely tumultuous for me.
It started off with me leaving Athens on my own to study Popular Music in England. It was quite challenging at first, as I didn't know anyone in UK, and it took time to get used to British accents and culture.
I was lucky to have amazing classmates in uni, with whom I created some awesome tunes. Then, I was blessed with my uni halls family, who became my ride or die and made uni an absolute blast for me. All the while having the support of my Greek friends, who have been -and still are- real troopers, never complaining or being impatient with me, considering I was -and still am- missing a lot of their important moments by being away. My time as a bachelor's student comprised of a lot of drama, fun, travelling, partying, raving, blurry moments, studying, performing and being creative.
After that, I came back to Greece for a year, and the reverse cultural shock was so intense, but again, I was graced with awesome people who supported me and who partied till we dropped with me!
My MA in Community Arts followed. What a roller coaster that was! Amidst having to move 5 times during my first year and struggling with the masters, again, I was supported by my wonderful London friends. I met so many cool people during that time, and my uni halls experience made me reminisce my bachelor's years. But this time I was more mature, and more determined to achieve my goal. However, that would have never happened if I didn't meet my amazing boyfriend. He was and remains an inspiration and a motivation to do better.
Meeting Clinton and having the privilege of being his partner has bettered me as a person and taught me to share, to be more considerate of others and more understanding, to forgive, to not hold grudges and to be more humble. He is like the sun, warm and bright, and I'm so grateful he's also my best friend.
Sometime after I completed my master's, I returned to Greece for over a year. It was my investment on myself. That year was enlightening. There were hard times, but self reflection is never easy. I cannot begin to describe how thankful I am to my partner for giving me the space to allow my growth, even if it was in a different country. Once more, my friends supported me unconditionally.
Then, I came back to London, and for the first time, I was an adult, with adult responsibilities and obligations. It would have been a pretty awful year if I didn't have Clinton, my London friends and some amazing coworkers. It ended up being more fun than I expected.
After my master's, I did a few jobs here and there, trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. I even did a short course in counselling, as I thought that could be something I may be interested in.
But truthfully, I have no clue. A whole decade where I studied and tried all sorts of different things didn't help me sort my ambitions out.
So, my hope and wish for the new year, and the new decade, is to guide me to find my path, and for me to start walking on that path.
To all of you,
Happy New Year! May all your wishes come true!
