I try to make at least one post a year on this blog. Typically, around new years, to reflect on the year that’s passed. This year, it didn’t quite work out that way, but hey–– better late than never, right?
2025 has been a whirlwind. I can’t quite believe that it’s already June, that we’re already halfway through the year. Perhaps the speed at which the year has been passing for me can be explained away by the fact that so much is happening in my life. So many big things–– so many changes. If 2025 has been a whirlwind, it’s because huge storms are brewing on the horizon.
But with 2025 having been so chaotic, I haven’t had the opportunity to look back on 2024. So, in this entry, I’ll be doing my traditional yearly reflection, but I’ll save my notes on the first half of 2025 for another post that I’ll likely release not long after this one. Big things are coming. Stay tuned!
Where was I, in January 2024? It feels like ages ago now, and in a way it was. I was going into my final year of university and I was deeply in love with everything I was doing. I was a teaching assistant, I was a dedicated student, I was a heartfelt lover, I was a grounding friend. Those who were around me seemed happy enough to be, and I was happy to be around them.
By the end of the semester, I was growing restless.
As the summer break approached, I was becoming all-too aware of the fact that I needed a job. Not only did I desperately need to replenish the savings I had spent over the past year unemployed and in school, but I desperately needed to fill the hot summer hours with something to do. In the Pioneer Valley, the heat is stifling in the summer. Most of those I knew from school had flown the coop for the season, and those who remained were few and far between. I was halfheartedly applying around, but I didn’t have too much faith I would get anything. After all, I wasn’t really putting any effort in.
Then, I got a call. It turns out that one of my shot-in-the-dark applications had been appreciated, and I was called in for an interview for an internship. In what felt like a dream come true, I was hired on as an well-paid intern at Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, where I would assist the planning department in their bus stop inventory as well as a handful of other tasks. I was absolutely elated. I was going to Providence, and I was going to work for a real transit agency. It felt unreal. In a way, it still does.
In June, I had elective surgery to get my fallopian tubes removed, meaning I can no longer get pregnant naturally. This was a decision I had known for a while I wanted to make, but as the political climate in the United States grew more polarized, and it became more and more obvious who our next president would be, I felt the need to seek the care I needed while I still could. It’s a shame that we as women have been forced into a corner where we must act or die in regards to our reproductive health, but unfortunately that’s where we’re at as a country.
Once I was recovered in late June, I moved to Rhode Island to stay with my aunt and began my internship with RIPTA. Immediately, it was amazing. The team I was working with was full of amazing and interesting people, all of whom I still think of often. I spent my days either out and about with my fellow intern Morgan cataloguing bus stop condition all around the state, or inside attending meetings that revealed to me the inner workings of the public sector or performing analytics on ridership data. We even had a news article written about us regarding the bus stop inventory effort, if you’d like to read it here.
Of course, my summer was far from all work and no play. I spent my off hours soaking up as much of the sea air as I possibly could. I had hardly realized just how claustrophobic I felt so far inland until I was face to face with the ocean again.
I was able to spend a lot of time with my aunt and uncle, who I love dearly, and discovered just how much my auntie and I are alike–– much to my mother’s dismay. I also went on a lovely weekend trip to NYC with my friend Cameron from school, which was amazing since it had been years since I last visited the Big Apple.
I also got to experience life in the city for a while, which was amazing. Providence may be small, but it has massive personality, and I fell in love with the city while I was there. I rode the buses (“my god! I work for these people!”), enjoyed being able to walk places, and most importantly, met some fantastic friends. I have been back to Providence to visit them a handful of times since, and each time I am filled with warmth and sweet nostalgia. I haven’t forgotten about you, Providence. I just might come back for you someday, Providence. In Providence, tread lightly.
There were also difficulties along the way. Complicated health issues in the family unfortunately cast a shadow over the latter half of my summer, but I was still able to enjoy the weekend trip to Montreal that Nico and I took to Montreal for Otakuthon in early August. Although we were busy with the convention, and I was quite stressed due to family matters, I was still able to carve out time to explore and soak in the vibes of my all-time favorite city–– and of course, spend time with my dear, dear friends.
As the tumultuous summer wound down to a quiet close, I felt that anxiousness welling within me–– a thought that had been lingering over me since the moment I got to Rhode Island. Now that I’ve spent all summer living my dream in the city… how could I possibly be expected to go back to the quiet lull of the valley?
I kept being reminded that I would be busy and distracted and excited once school got started again, and I did feel better once I was back in the swing of school, but it was my final semester. I was still on the precipice of new beginnings, and with grad school applications hanging over me, I couldn’t help but be scared. What was I going to do next? Where was I going? I’d been there before, though, and I knew I’d get through it. At the end of the semester, I was officially on-paper graduated. It was over. I’d done it.
After dropping out of high school, at age 26, I finally earned my bachelor’s degree.
So, 2024 ended on a high note, but that uncertainty remained. Going into 2025, I was at the whim of the universe and I just had to ride the wave…
What happened next?! Did I emerge victorious, or was I pulled under with the riptide? Stay tuned to find out!
P.S. I updated the site’s layout. What do you guys think? I got pretty sick of the old one, and this one is quite nice and simple so I’m happy with it. It also matches my favicon, which is an added bonus! Also, I finally added a contact form, so do with that what you will lol.
P.P.S. I’m also going to make a more conscious effort to include photos in posts in the future, like I have been the last couple posts. I just think this site needs a bit more of a pop. Who knows, maybe I’ll enter another era of posting quite frequently… but probably not.
