1) Summer 2014-- and what a summer it was! I was able to go home after being away for 2 years, and spent about 2.5 months there. It was AWESOME (cue music "Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of the team..." Incidentally I watched the Lego Movie on the plane ride home). Aside from spending time with my family, I was also spoiled by my mom who took me shopping, eating and traveling (in return I cleaned our home... so guess I wasn't too spoiled?).
2) Siem Reap, Cambodia.
This is still one of my all time favorite holidays I've ever been to. I blogged about my trip HERE, HERE, HERE, and (guess where) HERE. You can tell how much I cherished my time there from the number of posts I've written about it!
3) I can officially add the alphabets "M" and "A" to the back of my name, bwa ha ha ha! There was so much drama in the process of obtaining that darn piece of paper, but everything worked out and I officially received my Masters in August. Now, only 4 more years to go...
4) I'm building up my career... slowly: My article in Women of Faith in the Latter Days, Vol. 3 was published (more about it here); I contributed to a podcast about Singapore in World War One (listen to it here); one of my profs wrote very nice feedback to a final paper I submitted; I gave a presentation to a group of middle-schoolers about the Civil Rights Movement; I'm serving on several committees in school... It's been a hard year but I'm adjusting to this tough life little by little, and am grateful for these opportunities. Thank goodness grad school gets better, a semester and a year at a time!5) Christmas in Pittsburgh with the Lius! Pittsburgh was really fun, plus I participated in an act of meaningful service. And even though it's been a few days since I've been back in Columbus, I'm still thinking of my friends' terrific cooking.
6) I began another blog, My Kind of Feminism (URL link: http://anotherkindoffeminism.blogspot.com/). I'm tired of people looking at me like I'm crazy when I identify as a feminist, especially since I'm a practicing Mormon, and it doesn't help that conversations about Mormon feminism is DOMINATED by a very Eurocentric agenda. So I'm fighting against it, and showing how my religion and feminism work together in my own way. I don't post as often there but feel free to read and comment on it; I only ask that you remain polite in your feedback.
7) Relief Society President no more! It has been 1.5 years since I was called to lead the women's organization in my congregation, and I was finally "released" before the Christmas break began. It was bittersweet, but I know it was the right decision, especially since I need time to prepare for a huge exam in April. The new president is also wonderful and can minister to the women in ways that I can't.
8)Two profoundly significant spiritual experiences (I guess I'm cheating with my "10" limit by dividing them into a & b):
a) I came across this speech, "Sweet Above All that is Sweet," given by Sheri Dew at the BYU Women's Conference in May 2014 (video and transcript), and it is MAGNIFICENT. I can't tell you how many times I've read and re-read this talk.
b) The past few years haven't been kind to my spiritual growth, especially being a historian who has been exposed to some terrible aspects of Mormon history. But this year, I was able to find peace and reconcile myself to an issue that I've been struggling with. That feeling of relief is sweet and beautiful.
9) I experienced online bullying for the first time. Not only was I shocked and upset by the experience for a period of time, I couldn't believe that it was sparked by ONE LINE I wrote on my Facebook wall about the Michael Brown shooting. It's one thing to disagree and voice your opinions in a calm, rational manner; it's another thing to attack me personally, especially when you noticed that I wouldn't respond to you. And this from a friend whom I barely knew from my mission and haven't seen in a few years. However, this incident has made me realize just how real and damaging internet bullying is (so STOP IT), and how we have become a society that is so easily provoked to disagreement.
10) Don't take this the wrong way, but I've come to terms with being single and am very at peace with my current (non)marital status. Sure, it would be nice to have a companion--it's a natural human instinct and need. Yet, I genuinely enjoy being single, and don't yearn to be married. I'm no longer bitter about not being asked out; I'm very self aware of why men don't find me attractive or worthy date-material (no, really, I'm fine. Don't need to protest. Just being realistic); I'm happy for my friends who are married and have children; I admire those who push through difficult marital and parenting problems, and is probably why some of my blog posts are related to motherhood (examples HERE and HERE).
I just don't care to make the same commitments. Perhaps I'm caught in the "Peter Pan" complex, although in my defense it's not that I shun these commitments. Rather I've realized that God hasn't required them from me as yet, so darn right I'll enjoy my "freedom" while I can! This isn't a feeling that I consciously "chose" to have. I didn't get up one morning and say, "Hey, I'm choosing to sincerely feel like it's awesome to be single!" Instead, it was a process that took a couple of years, lots of introspective self-reflection, and it doesn't hurt that friends sometimes post things on social media about the more "sucky" aspects of companionate and family life. I finally reached an equilibrium this year, and felt a peace wash over me. Weird but comforting. Que sera sera.
And perhaps these are fitting words to welcome in the new year-- "Que sera sera." Too many tragedies occurred in 2014, such as the 3 Malaysian airline disasters (they still haven't found MH370), racial conflict, kidnappings, shootings... No doubt 2015 is bound to have its fair share as well. So, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE, AND QUE SERA SERA!!!
P.S. 2014 Honorable Mention: Moved to a town home! Much thanks to my roommate and the person who took over my lease (they did the heavy lifting, moving while I was in Singapore), I began the new school year in a new place with a bigger bedroom, cheaper rent, and a home with a basement and stairs!!! It's awesome, although further from the bus stop than my previous apartment.
OH friend! I feel the same way about marriage and relationships. At a certain point this year, perhaps it was during the summer when we met up, I have come to terms with my martial statues as well. The truth is, I love being single. When we are young, we are willing to run into the sunset with our partner, and now as we grow older, we are walking into the sunset. Sometimes, I am just content with watching the sunset from the mountain peaks. Thank you for the post and for being a great friend all these years. Happy 2015!
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha love that imagery! Happy New Year to you too, and when are you going to update your blog? I'm waiting :)
DeleteI didn't realize that you had another blog, I love it!
ReplyDelete