Goodbye 2017! Hello New Challenges!

Now that 2017 is almost at its end, I have decided it is time for me to give myself an account of the things I have managed to tick on my list and some that I have not. Even though this is probably what most bloggers have been doing throughout the past week, I just couldn’t ignore the sudden burst of inspiration that came over me when I considered some of the magnificent places I have visited this year.

For starters, there are some places around Bulgaria which could easily take your breath away as soon as you glimpse them for the first time. Every one of these destinations has offered its own secret, stunning landscapes and stories. Getting to see more of the Bulgarian nature and familiarizing myself more with its history by visiting some historical monuments, such as “Shipka” (not for the first time, though), has brought the feeling of fulfillment and pride. Of course, there are still so many other places to visit and to go to, so next year I intend on continuing my quest to explore as much of my country as possible.

Secondly, I had the opportunity to attend a rock festival for the first time in my life. “Hills of Rock” was probably my number one experience for 2017. It was filled with energy, excitement, singing, seeing some of my favourite bands live, and spending that quite unforgettable time with people who I consider so close to me. Therefore, I would undoubtedly do it all over again. (Well, we all know that you can never experience something the same way as you already have, but who knows, next year’s “Hills of Rock” might actually turn out to be even better).

In addition, I have also been able to accomplish another one of my goals – visit Stockholm in the summer; and I got to do it with someone very special to me, too. It is true that I was there last year but considering that it was winter, there wasn’t much of a chance to explore it fully when it would get dark at 3 p.m. I still got to spend time with my soul sister and her boyfriend, though so it was worth it more than a hundred percent. This year, however, there was so much walking around Stockholm and so much sightseeing that I would gladly say that we got to know some parts of Sweden’s capital city quite better now. We went to “Gröna Lund”, Stockholm’s amusement park, where there was a constant battle between fear and extreme thrill going on within me.

We visited “Skansen” which is the most gigantic zoo I have ever been to. It felt as if we were walking through an entirely separate town which had preserved its antiquity.

I dare say that we explored Djurgården to the fullest, or rather to the maximum of our abilities and no flu or rainy days could prevent us from doing it. Moreover, I again spent some time with my bestie which made my visit in Stockholm all the more pleasant.

There are, of course, some other things that I have enjoyed throughout the year, such as working with children, having amazing colleagues and so many unique and astonishing people that I am proud and lucky to call my friends, and having a family that loves me despite the very different views we have on so many subjects. I am also in the process of finally getting a driver’s license and being able to drive on my own.

Anyway, as there are things that I have managed to do, there certainly are things that I have not accomplished (at least for the moment). I was so set on being part of NaNoWrimo this year and yet my motivation to write the 50000 words left me around day 10, which was such a shame as I was really looking forward to finally having a novel finished. I didn’t really start learning Swedish too, at least not to the extent that I was intending to, which is something that I definitely want to change from the next year. My goal of becoming more fit didn’t work out as well and finding the perfect Master’s program for me hasn’t been given the attention it deserves.

So I think it is safely to say that I have focused more on the live-for-the-moment experiences throughout this year, rather than on the consider-your-future kind of moments. However, that doesn’t mean I am not happy with what I have done this year. I appreciate all those fascinating moments I have had and have no regrets about all the decisions I have made, no matter how hard they have been. And when it comes to the future that I haven’t spent enough time focusing on, I think it is procrastination that has prevented me from doing it. So finding my way around it therefore becomes one of my top priority goals for next year.

To conclude, I am truly looking forward to travelling more next year and to moving forward with my life as an adult by getting more and more things that I find crucial to me done. I also know that with the right people by my side, the road to achieving my goals would be much smoother and definitely more enjoyable.

#sightseeing #travel #Sweden #Stockholm #Bulgaria #HillsofRock #experience #goals