Thank You, 2014

photo taken 08.27.2014 near The Black Tusk

When I won my Kitchenaid mixers in 2013, I didn’t think anything else afterwards could top that. But then 2014 came with all its surprises and obstacles and opportunities and adventures. It felt rewarding and stressful and exhilarating and enlightening and challenging and refreshing all at the same time. Sure, I may be a little more worn out than usual but it’s well worth the things that I have gained.

The year began with an eye and mind opening trip to Guatemala where I volunteered on a great project to build and develop resources for nutrition support in a small village in Quetzaltenango. Being in that environment stimulated my senses and touched my heart in so many ways. There were no business transactions or calculations or monetization of actions. Just raw human interactions. I opened up my heart and experienced things that nothing else could teach me; it had to be felt. Strangers became close friends and differences were nothing more than ‘you’ being the unique you and ‘me’ and being me. There was no ‘your culture’ vs. ‘my culture’ or ‘first world’ vs ‘third world’. We embraced that ‘you’ and ‘me’ are all inhabitants of this planet which is a rock amongst many other bigger rocks in this solar system, in this galaxy, in this universe. Despite speaking different languages, we communicated using the same mash up of English-Spanish and made up hand gestures. We didn’t need to speak to understand. Guatemala showed me the beauty of mankind and that’s something I’ll never forget.

At the end of May, I completed my first year of Dietetics. When I first started university, getting my bachelors and becoming a registered dietitian all seemed so far away. Now I can’t believe that I’m almost there. I’m so lucky to be dedicating my life to a field where helping people improve their lives through nutrition is a thing. I can already see my clients/patients rolling their eyes at me when I say “you are what you eat”, a quote that I firmly believe in.

June 18th, one of the most unforgettable nights of my life. I went to The Fray’s “Helios” concert with my siblings, who also happen to be my best friends. We share a love for the same music and we feel music in the same way.

On June 19th, I officially launched my own self-hosted website, which is what you’re seeing right now. I finally got rid of that dreaded “wordpress.com” at the end of the URL and swapped it for a plain ol “.com”. I bought a tiny piece of space on the internet and made it my virtual home.

August 2nd, I catered dessert to my first ever event. It was stressful and I almost lost it when I was preparing cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, cheesecake and macarons for the almost 200 guests. But when the day came and my siblings helped me put everything together on that 2x4ft table, I saw my dreams come true. I kept saying to myself, “this is what I want to do for the rest of my life” (along with being a dietitian). I was so overwhelmed with happiness that I had to sneak away to catch my breath while I cried on the phone with my mom.

August 26th, I packed my backpack and left my frenetic lifestyle for 3 peaceful days in the mountains with a new friend. Neither of us had backpacked before, but that was the fun of it. She took care of me when I was frostbite-cold and I looked after her when she sprained her ankle. We’re both really busy people and were in dire need to get away from it all. Neverending horizons, forest greens, tall mountains and sky blues made us feel small but empowered.

September came and I was thrown into full on school mode for the next three months.Opportunities for adventures were scarce but I found excitement in creating new recipes and sharing them on this blog. When things got dull, wanderlust beckoned and I have plans to answer them next summer.

2014, you were amazing. Looking forward to shedding some more fears and living life according to me in 2015.