Tonight’s December thirty-first,

Something is about to burst.

The clock is crouching, dark and small,

Like a time bomb in the hall.

Hark, it’s midnight, children dear.

Duck! Here comes another year!

-Ogden Nash

2019 sure did fly by! I still remember being in Taiwan for the new year celebration and seeing Taipei 101 with the animation on the front surface and drinking a bubble tea. Now I am back in the United States and I will be with my family to celebrate the new year. Wow 2020. That is double digits and it’s the beginning of a new decade! I am part of this new decade and now that I am older, I am grateful to start a new chapter of my life and to set my goals that I hope to achieve in 2020. I will leave some things behind in 2019 and I can’t wait for new changes to come.

What were some of the events that happened in my life in 2019?! For starters,

1. I applied at my university to study abroad in Taiwan for an academic year and National Taiwan University sent me a letter that I can go in the Fall!
2. I improved my Chinese language learning and read wonderful Taiwanese literature that I recommend everyone should read if they want to learn more about Taiwanese history, culture, and growing up in Taiwan
3. My mom came to Taiwan in November 2018 and I visited her at her hotel
4. I rented a bicycle and enjoyed seeing many people with their children and grandchildren and the sun setting down in the pastel color sky with a bridge
5. I made new friends in Taiwan and went on trips with them and with my maternal family members: Jiufen, Shifen, Taoyuan, Tamsui, Fort Domingo, Linkou, Beitou, Yangmingshan National Park, Bitan, Meiti Riverside Park, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Yehliu Geopark, Wulai, and so many more places!
6. I drank delicious milk tea and ate desserts in various cafes in Taipei unlike my hometown where there is not too many cafes
7. I went on an International Companions for Learning trip sponsored by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education and it was established by a former professor at National Taiwan University. Now he is working in London, but he is still a coordinator of the program. My assigned trip was Chiayi City (link) and my assigned school where I met students is Wen Ya Elementary School. Here is the link if you want to learn more about it: http://icl.tw/student
8. I attended bilingual church service at a small church near National Taiwan University
9. My family and my grandmother mailed packages with items from the United States including Us Weekly and People magazines, Halloween candy corns, a Halloween card from Grandma, books and a letter from my father, jasmine tea bags, and snacks. I will never forget their thoughtful deeds and for sending me care packages with love. It truly made my day happier when I received the packages.
10. My sister came to visit me in Taiwan and we went to Louisa Cafe (I recommend the brown sugar milk tea and ham and cheese sandwich!
11. I went with my sister to South Korea. It was my first time visiting Seoul! It was interesting to visit a country that I have never visited and it was different compared to Taiwan!
12. I arrived back in the United States this past summer and started my Fall 2019 semester at my home university!

My goals in 2020 are

1. To wake up early Monday to Friday at 6AM and be productive
2. To combat procrastination and work hard in my studies
3. To pray everyday
4. To save money for long-term goals
5. To graduate from my university with my Bachelor’s degree
6. To read more books and write more in my journal during my free time when I am not working or doing homework
7. To be more grateful for everything and see every failure as a lesson learned and every hindrance as an opportunity
8. To learn foreign languages
9. To visit the Japanese art exhibit in Washington D.C.
10. To attend a painting session or a pottery class (I want to make a homely bowl)
11. To stop using my cell phone all the time
12. To type stories and poetry and maybe one day in the future get my book published!
13. Write in my journal what I am grateful for and one thing that made me feel happy each day
14. Go on walks or hikes outside and see peaceful scenery of nature. To visit a local or national park so I can see mountains and lakes

What 2019 resolutions did you achieve this year? What were some of the most exciting events that happened in your life? Share with us below!

“On New Year Eve’s the whole world celebrates the fact that a date changes. Let us celebrate the dates on which we change the world.”

-Akilnathan Logeswaran