It’s been a hard year for everyone, but I remain very, very grateful for the good things and blessings that kept me going through 2021.
It’s safe to say that nothing the past two years has gone exactly as planned. My study abroad was cancelled, the writing cohort I was briefly a part of turned out to possibly be a multi level marketing scheme, my independent study in webseries-making flopped, and I made many, many mistakes. There were times when I felt lonely, lost, and worthless. But every lonely person is the loneliest person in the world. We’re all going through it. That doesn’t make things better, but it does put things in perspective.
All things considered, I’m lucky. Despite a fraught and tight semester, I finished my thesis (Got an A!) and bound it with friends and teammates. I played in my first rugby game, played a few water polo games, and experimented with dyeing my hair for the first time. A webseries I created, Relic, was filmed in the United Kingdom over the Summer (helmed by Idunn Marthinsen, Henry Webb, and Unthank Productions), and will release this Spring to the world. I have so many exciting projects on my plate, and collaborators who respect me.
If all goes to plan, I will graduate in 2022. Which is... a lot to think through. I don’t have any hard plans for life after college yet. Right now, I just have to get through it. The upcoming semester won’t be easy... it’s loaded with required classes, an 8 AM, and new restrictions to protect myself and my fellow students from Omicron. But I am confident that I can make my last semester at Bates something special despite the circumstances. These are hard times, and I hope things get better soon, but even if they don’t, I’ll survive. I’m lucky, loved, and living.
“It’s been a hell of a time. Here’s to the rest of it.”