Dear 2016,

You were the best and worst year out of the twenty I've been alive. At this point in 2015, I was probably sitting at my parents house, with high hopes of your arrival. I felt like I was suffocating, yet thriving at my beautiful, tiny private college. I wanted to love the intimate experience, but I was yearning for something else. While I searched for something else in myself and my surroundings, I booked my solo ticket to Prague and Vienna, embarking to Europe for the first time. I learned to live a life without Apple Maps, to constantly metamorphose myself in the hometown of Khafka, and to never follow strange men on a bus in an unknown city. I travelled through Japan and learned to taste new foods, love nature, and develop even stronger wanderlust. Because of what I did this year, 2017 brings along a trip to Paris and London.

2016- you brought with you the knowledge that hormones are a dangerous thing to manipulate and birth control should be taken carefully. Those 25 pounds I gained while navigating the woes of hormone manipulation really messed with me. But you know what I've come to realize? That is okay. For the first time in my life, I have gone 34 days without dairy and dropped almost 12 pounds in that time. But my life isn't about a number on the scale and because I've realized that, I feel the healthiest I've felt in my life.

I leaned that while having a job I love is exciting, school is more exciting and I must continually check myself to avoid burn out. I only have a few more years where money is not my first concern. I am fortunate enough to be able to value time and experiences over the number in my bank account and I want to utilize that to the fullest.

2016 brought a paralyzing fear of change-- that I overcame. I transferred schools and started making the moves I thought would make me successful... not the moves I thought would impress everyone else. I used my connections and earned an amazing internship for 2017 where I get to do something I'm passionate about- love my community.

I learned that sometimes the most irresponsible choice can turn out to be the most responsible choice. Adopting a dog on a whim, in the middle of a school year, in a tiny apartment? Horrible idea, yet the creature snoring rather loudly beside me brings me nothing but immense joy. Okay, except when she's eating my blankets. But 2016 taught me to take ACTION, instead of just fearing the worst.

Lastly, I learned that a year cannot be held responsible for the mishaps of humanity. It is not 2016's fault that I gained weight and I do not credit 2016 for my changes towards health. 2016 did not book my airfare to foreign places. I do not blame 2016 for causing burn out in every area of my life, but 2016 did not teach me to balance my schedule. Replace "2016" with "I." I learned that hormones are dangerous to manipulate... I lost 12 pounds... I valued my time... I was paralyzed by change and I overcame... I took action. 2016 has been the ultimate year of self discovery through trial and error... through heartbreak and love... though panic and health. And I am going to take each positive change a step further, because I am stronger than ever, so bring it on 2017.