Happy New Year! Buon anno nuovo!
Three hundred and sixty-five days, the first of which are already completed. Three hundred and sixty-five pages, the first of which have already been written. Three hundred and sixty-five sunrises, of which I’ve missed the very first as we were still dancing to the sounds of Italian classics such as Ti Amo until very late this Silvester Night.
More than once, I found myself on the first of January with absolutely no idea how the year to come would turn out
After looking back in detail at 2021 in last week’s blog, it is now time to look ahead, to the year that lies ahead of us. A brand-new year with a lot of new adventures. For me personally, these first days in January feel like the conclusion of one thing and the fresh start of another even more intensely as the second of January is my birthday. Hence, every new calendar year also marks a new year of life for me. I use these first few weeks in January to make new plans, define goals and think about the direction I want to take. Nowadays, I do this much more consciously than I used to. More than once, I found myself on the first of January with absolutely no idea how the year to come would turn out.
On the first of January 2009, I was determined that this would be the year that I would move away from my parents. Finally on my own, I thought, and with not even eighteen years of age, I felt more than ready. The idea of studying in Amsterdam had been in the back of my mind for a while, and that was exactly what would happen later that year.
On the first of January 2010, I faced a great uncertainty. I had not passed all my exams during the first semester at university and it was anything but sure that I would be admitted to the second year of study that summer. If not, I wasn’t even sure anymore whether I wanted to stay in Amsterdam. In the end, I did pass, and Amsterdam became more and more home to me.
On the first of January 2014, literally every aspect of my life was to be redefined. After a few beautiful, but what had not always been the easiest years in Amsterdam, I had the irresistible urge to shake up everything. I had finished my internship, terminated my rent, and broken up with my boyfriend. I knew I wanted to go abroad for a while, but that was all I knew. I applied for dozens of jobs, from Sydney to San Francisco and from Barcelona to Madrid. Nothing seemed to work out and I felt completely discouraged. Then, all of a sudden, I received a phone call from Brussels, where they had found my resume at the bottom of a drawer when they were cleaning up their desks. The very next morning, I got on the first train to the European Parliament. One week later, I moved to Brussels, another week later I flew to Dublin for a mega congress and in April and May this job allowed me to travel all over Europe, from Sweden to Italy. I had the time of my life.
On the first of January 2015, I knew that a tough period awaited me: the second semester of my master’s studies in which I had to write my thesis. I lived in Amsterdam once again, but already knew that it would not be the final destination for that year. The south of Europe was calling me and in those first days of January I took the necessary steps to make that dream come true.
On the first of January 2016, I was determined to extend my exchange at the university in Rome – which would soon come to an end – by six months. I had been living in Rome since September the year before and had no intention of leaving any time soon. I had to move heaven and earth to make it happen, but finally both universities agreed and I got my way. Rome remained my home until August, to then start my career in Utrecht in September.
On the first of January 2017, my current situation was rather chaotic and stressful. Barely recovered from our big New Year’s Eve party, I found the living room full of family members who had come a day earlier because the day after, on my birthday, I was moving to Frankfurt in Germany early in the morning. I moved there for work, and I was reluctant to go. It was definitely not the experience of a lifetime, but it was very formative indeed.
On the first of January 2019, for the very first time, I picked up a notebook to write down what I really wanted in life. Right before the Christmas holidays, I had told my manager that I was quitting my job in the new year. I did not have a new job or any idea how to sustain myself yet, but I knew that I wanted to return to Italy and that it had to happen that year. After two unforgettable months in Naples, Rome became my home for the second time.
On the first of January 2020, I actually started off quite relaxed for a change. Although I knew that I would have to find a new home in Rome very soon, I wasn’t worried at all about it. Like everyone else, I did not have the slightest idea yet about the pandemic that awaited us and that would change our lives and the entire world forever.
On the first of January 2021, I faced a rather uncertain situation. Once again, all of my belongings were packed in boxes and awaiting my return to Rome. However, due to yet another lockdown and tighter restrictions to enter the country, I couldn’t just simply return to Italy. But of course, everything turned out all right in the end, just like it always does. On the first of March, I moved into my new Roman home.
Right before traveling to the Netherlands for the holidays a few weeks ago, I told my client in Rome – for whom I have been working for the last five months – that I would be taking a break
So, what about the first of January 2022? It seems to have become a tradition of mine to burn some bridges behind me and throw all things that no longer serve me overboard before the new year starts. Also this time, right before traveling to the Netherlands for the holidays a few weeks ago, I told my client in Rome – for whom I have been working for the last five months – that I would be taking a break. That I would use the month of January to evaluate what I want to do in the coming year. And more importantly, to literally and figuratively give space for new things to emerge. One door can only open when the other closes. If there’s anything I have learned in all these years, it is that life is a combination of determining what you really want and just going-with-the-flow. Sure, you can force things to happen, and get it done with a lot of effort, but from experience I now know that the most beautiful and valuable experiences flow to you spontaneously. They happen in the most unexpected ways, and at the moment you least expect it. Exactly like that phone call from Brussels I received back in 2014.
If there’s one thing that has not changed in the slightest over the years, it is my innate fear of a boring life. For a life that is planned down to the last detail and predictable
I truly cannot wait to discover what 2022 will bring me. I look forward to life’s surprises, big and small, that can turn your whole world upside down just like that. Because if there’s one thing that has not changed in the slightest over the years, it is my innate fear of a boring life. For a life that is planned down to the last detail and predictable. I will always be looking for new experiences that will stimulate me in new ways. And with every year that passes, I now know even better what I want than ever before. Like a voyage of discovery that lasts a lifetime. For now, I wish you a very happy, loving and healthy New Year. May all of your dreams, big and small, come true.