The clock turned midnight, the sky lit up with fireworks as the sound of people cheering was heard all throughout my street. It was the New Year, and as I sat on my couch with my dog watching the ball drop in New York, I told myself this would be my year.

2016 was going to be the year where I traveled and discovered myself. As the year is slowly coming to an end and Thanksgiving is creeping up so suddenly, I am thankful I was able to accomplish what I wanted for this year. The week after New Years, I went to Joshua Tree with my closest friends. I was able to ring in the New Year with a breath of fresh air in one of the most beautiful places in California. The cold, crisp air was rare for us Angelenos who find anything below 75 degrees to be freezing temperature. We had just finished our last hike of the day as we laid down on a table and stared at the sky waiting for the stars to shine. We waited and waited but there was not one twinkle in the air. Being one of the main reasons we wanted to come to Joshua Tree, this small moment of disappointment taught me that our expectations may not correlate with our reality, and that is okay.

Fast forward to March, I was turning 20 years old. Finally, I was able to leave my teen years behind and start becoming a young adult. Immediately, I felt a rush of responsibility when I entered into a new relationship. The guy was sweet and nice, and the months we spent together were fun and memorable. However, life with someone else changes and you began to discover new things about each other you hadn’t known before. Deciding it was time to end the relationship was a very hard moment of 2016, but it made me stronger. I am thankful I met him because I learned a lot from the relationship.

Spring semester was almost done, when my friends and I decided to go to Coachella for our first time. As passionate music festival goers, we thought it was only appropriate we go to one of the biggest music festivals around. Coachella was such an experience. Seeing the music live while being surrounded by my best friends was something I will never forget. On the last night, as Calvin Harris was closing the last weekend of Coachella, fireworks flew up in the air, and I forgot I was covered in dust, my voice was gone and my legs hurt from walking and dancing. Instead ,I was consumed with thankfulness that I was able to come to such a special place.

School was finally over, and for this summer’s family vacation, we decided to go to San Francisco. We stayed in different hotels around the city experiencing new sights and cultures of the diversity in the famous bay city. The breezy air and the smell of the bay was just the vacation my family and I needed.

Another adventure of the summer was when I drove 36 hours straight from California to Tennessee with my best friends, to attend the music festival Bonnaroo. Driving through five states, I was able to get a taste of the culture outside of California. The small interactions with the people at the diners, gas stations, and rest stops built in me a greater interest to learn about people all over the world. Once we arrived in Tennessee, I noticed not many people shared the same skin tone as me, but this meant nothing to me as I felt welcomed under true hospitality. I was also able to visit my family who had moved out to Tennessee, whom I had not seen in a while, making the trip even more memorable. Traveling to Tennessee opened my eyes to what I wanted to do with my future. The beginning of my junior year, I decided to switch my emphasis in my journalism major to cross-cultural media so I could continue to pursue this interest of other cultures.

I know 2016 still isn’t over yet, but I am thankful for all the events, experiences, lessons, and people I was able to meet. Just last month, I went to Las Vegas for my first time, so my travels aren’t over yet either. I thank God each and everyday for the blessings he has given me in my life. 2016 was my year — I took control of what I wanted to do. This Thanksgiving, as I sit around the table with my family, I’ll thank God for giving me such a wonderful year.