Yes, that is me, all dressed up for the Clio Christmas party. Fitting way to cap off this Year of New Experiences as I dress up when the occasion arises, but I most certainly don’t wear short dresses let alone put on noticeable eye makeup. I prefer to blend, not stand out.
The Year of New Experiences.
I used that introduce the Small Firm Innovation theme this month, and it occurred to me that I set some personal goals this year, and no professional goals. Actually, my professional goal as to adjust to being back in a regular office environment, complete with a boss (so to speak), coworkers and a daily commute. It had been three years since I was in an office environment, but in hindsight, that was really the smallest obstacle.
I started an Evernote, a little over a week ago while at YVR, as thoughts on this New of Yea Experiences tumbled through my head:
While I’m waiting for the @AlaskaAir counters to open, I find myself reflecting over the past year, and what I was doing this time last year.
Was still a bit stunned, actually. I had just returned from Vancouver after a few days of meetings and a company Christmas party. I don’t really remember much of any of that as I was still reeling from having my work visa granted. I had done a really good job of keeping expectations even. Two years of job hunting will do that I suppose. You never really want to get your hopes up, but you also don’t want to assume you aren’t right for the job or won’t get it for a myriad of reasons.
If the visa was granted, great. Next steps would be clear. If not, something else was in store. One of those moments where you don’t know what will happen until it happens. All the rationalizing and plotting of points is pretty useless. You can’t do anything until a direction is chosen. So I made a deal with myself. If the visa was granted, I’d relocate to Vancouver.
Visa granted. Relocated to Vancouver. Oh wait. Check that. I MOVED COUNTRIES. I emphasize that because moving countries is not like moving States or Provinces. You’re still in the same country if you move States or Provinces, so some of what you’ve come to know, like how the banking system works, employment paperwork, post office, the DMV and the like, remain. When you change countries, the only thing you know is that your passport is your identity, in a general sense. The specifics now must be forged while navigating new rules, regulations, customs and an entire different way of living.
And it is most definitely an experience.’
So what did I do during this Year of New Experiences? Quite a bit, actually. It was a rather exciting, and at times, frustrating, year. I may have underestimated the frustration and challenges of moving countries (granted, who would know the temporary place would flood?), but I also underestimated how much fun I’d have and the cool things I’d learn or discover. Like tides, for example, or the peculiar custom of not locking doors or words for things.
The “holiday every month” was an experience. I’m an American, so I have a hard enough time taking two weeks vacation (and Clio gives its employees 3!) without feeling like a slacker. Give me a day off every month, practically, and I don’t know what to do with myself. We don’t get that many days off in the States, which is a reason many people take vacation in March and April. Our last day off was January 1, and the next is Memorial Day in May. And then there are some days, like July 4, that now have a new memory: river rafting.
I’m sifting through this blog, and finding all kinds of new experiences, things I had forgotten about from the summer and even earlier in the year. Some things I’ve gotten used to, like eating at restaurants where I can’t read the menu and using chopsticks. The Vancouver Sun Run, which is named for the newspaper and not wishful-thinking weather. I even managed to see some baseball, live, over the summer, and play softball.
Saying I’ve developed an obsession with #mountains is an understatement. If you sift through photos I’ve posted to Twitter, you’ll find many, along with pictures of clouds. Their development and movement outside my window at the office just fascinates me. Unless it’s raining, the formations are always different. Sometimes the clouds clear out, sometimes they build and swirl and sometimes they collect and form one gigantic mass that sweeps across the mountains, shrouding them only to reveal them with snow capped tops later. Watching that throughout the day brings me a sense of calm I normally get after a good run.
This Year of New Experiences also meant I had to create, or attempt to create, some new traditions. Some holidays are big family occasions in the States, just as some days are big family occasions. I could not be home for those this year, so on those days I tried something different. Fourth of July was river rafting. For US Thanksgiving, I went to visit some good friends who just moved to Washington State, and took Amtrak back to Vancouver. And then there were those difficult family occasions, like my birthday. I’ve never been a fan of spending my birthday alone, and I’m actually hard pressed to think of when I have spent it alone. I wasn’t about to make this a first, so I invited what friends I had made so far (which turned out to be more than I thought), and took them all out to for breakfast at Tomahawk. It turned out to be a really good birthday. I remember feeling a bit overwhelmed afterward. I hadn’t realized I’d made quite a few friends already.
In a sense, this Year of New Experiences has been overwhelming, but in a good way. I don’t know what 2013 has in store, but I do know there is a semblance of a foundation on which to build now.
Build on indeed.
Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday!