As with most people on the internet, I can sympathize with the sentiment that 2016 has been a hell of a year. And not in a good way. There’s been a lot of fucked up things that’s happened in the world, and so if I take a look at my life from that wider lens, it really wasn’t so bad.

But.

Then this would be a boring short post. (Oh, it might still be a boring post, but with, I guess, more words).

I’ve been #funemployed (again) since the beginning of December (more details later), so I’ve had a lot of time to internalize my feelings and self reflect.

So, the bad and mildly annoying:

Jan – Mar

• Fracturing my pelvis
• Being mis-diagnosed with a fractured shoulder
• Spending a boat load of money flying back home because of said brokenness
• Missing a good friend’s wedding
• Spending 3 months of unplanned planned, but extremely unanticipated boring funemployment due to said brokenness
• Spending 3 months in Calgary during its colder months on crutches
• Job-hunting for jobs in a new country and interviewing via Skype and being told by countless grumpy recruiters that my search was futile because I didn’t go to a prestigious enough university / didn’t work for a well-ranked enough consultancy

Apr – Jun

• Rehabbing brokenness without free Canadian health care
• Leaving behind all my friends and family
• Arriving in a new country and having to start afresh
• House-hunting and job-hunting in a new market
• Starting an awesome new job only to have a dick of a co-worker undermine my credentials and capabilities because of my gender and his own insecurities

Jul – Sept

• The continuation of rehabbing brokenness without free Canadian health care
• Purchased travel insurance that wasn’t actually covering me for anything because of my unintended travel back to the motherland
• Actually, this was a pretty uneventful quarter. Mainly because it was actually uneventful due to my getting into the groove of working in a new country, but partly because I can’t recall anything that happened during those months. #memoriesofagoldfish
• Oh – wait: waiting, without transparency or communication, to hear about my company’s position on providing sponsorship and being bounced around the leadership team because basically the entire management team had left and been rehired over the last 4 months

Oct – Dec

• Being told by a company that said they had the ability to sponsor when they first hired, and was one of the reason for deciding to work with them in the first place, that they actually didn’t  have the ability to provide sponsorship
• Having to step away from a company that was filled with friends and people I considered my Melbourne fam jam
• Funemployment round #2

But. I’m all about dat silver lining these days. Soooo…the reflective side of me thinks, this was a fucking rad year: I learned that breaking some bones wasn’t the worst thing in the world. I learned that I have awesome friends that are willing to sacrifice their holidays and be there for me when I’m in need. I learned that despite how strongly someone doubt me and my abilities, I am capable of proving them wrong. I learned that I’m very capable of moving to a brand new city and laying down roots. I learned that despite how strongly someone doubt me and my abilities, I am capable of proving them wrong, again. I learned that I need to speak up and stand up against bullies, and assholes in general, because, just because I can handle it and take it in stride, doesn’t mean that others can, or should have to. I learned that despite encountering people that weren’t true to their word, I’m still someone that would rather trust others and give second chances. I learned that I have a group of amazing friends, which I didn’t have at the beginning of the year, on this remote island in the middle of nowhere, that I consider family.

And so while I have experience a lot of annoyance this past year, I have also been able to reflect on myself and the company that I keep. I have discovered more about who I am as an individual, the things I’m capable of, and the areas that I still need to work on to become a better human.

So, sincerely, thank you 2016 💗