Today is the 3rd day of what most believe to be the last year this earth will see and we’re already off to a good start. Iran has officially angered a lot of people by showing off their “guns” and various crystal-ball readers are already predicting the world’s demise…well this will make for a very eventful year…but let’s reminisce on 2011 for a quick minute….
What did I do in 2011 would be some people’s questions about 4 days back and I have been asking myself that as well, hence the post and the following list:
1) I finished grad school…to everyone’s surprise at that (even myself)!!) When I entered the MPH program with a conditional admission 2 years back, I had no confidence in me finishing the program, especially after my first biostat class. To add to the lack of confidence I had, the material covered was completely gibberish to me, I was in a city that was meant to visit and party in and not study. Amazingly enough (with the help of God and many friends) I was able to finish the program a little earlier than expected. My godfather actually couldn’t believe it either. While my parents flew down to watch me receive my diploma and currently have the original locked away, my dad reminds me that he still can’t believe I got my MPH in Miami of all places (especially after I tell him about stories of debacles and craziness my friends and I used to get into at FIU). While he mentions it because he can’t see how its physically and morally possible to party 5 days of the week and finish a 2 1/2 year program in 2 yrs, I have to remind him that I learned a lot in Miami, which brings me to my numero dos,
2) I have realized that my lifestyle will kill me. I know its a weird statement to make and probably a very pessimistic one at that. However, it actually has a optimistic tone to it in my mind. See I love to have fun, but above I love to help people have better lives. I have realized that what some look for in drugs I look for in helping others. Working at the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and all these other organizations I have had the chance to work for and with, I habe met a ton of people from various background and walks of life, and they have taught me a lot and brought me more than I could ever give back. The reason why I say that my lifestyle will kill me is that I love to help people and will work relentlessly at it, but will also have fun and go out with friends. When I look at a normal week in grad school, there were days I barely slept because I was doing one of three things: working, partying or helping. My mom hates the fact that I confer very little importance to my personal health or sleeping schedule, and she worries about me dropping which is a legit concern, but I just can’t get myself to change.
3) I debunked an old urban legend at FIU. There is this rumor that goes around FIU saying that if you step on the school seal at the entrance the student center (Graham Center for those who are familiar with it), you will graduate late. I can’t remember how many times I stepped on that thing and I still managed to finish early. I guess that one had a reverse effect on me. Go figure.
4) I matured. Believe it or not, I did (at least in comparison to the previous year!). I used to focus on the small stuff, stressed the futile things and worried too much. In 2011, I learned to not stress friendship that just weren’t meant to be and learn from them. I had a few friendships that went into the acquaintance basket simply because there was a lack of consideration. I think in 2010 I tried too hard to hold on to things that just weren’t worth trying so hard for. Mending relationships is a group effort and when the group just isn’t working with you, then there’s no need to keep working.
5) I moved (hopefully for the last time). I finally made the move to Canaada, which I hope will be the last major one (as in country to country). I lived for 12 years in the US (give or take) and I never really felt truly at home the way I do when I come up here. the recession-hit US was also a dead-end as far as jobs because there just aren’t enough and the unemployment rate is through the roof. There is no way I could have been able to compete with fellow graduates and veterans in my 2 fields of study to be able to get a job. The US economy has taken hits so hard the population is suffering a great deal; it would just be irrational to think that I would be considered a candidate for immigration especially when you look at the numbers (average residency applications per year in the US are around 300,000 and they have a backlog that’s prolly as big as half the total population).
6) I made long lasting memories with my G-Squad. From the crazy Vegas trip to the various little outings and trips I had with my people (they know who they are) 2011 was a year I played hard and loved every second of it. Does this mean 2012 is downtime; who knows. What I do know is that I set new precedence in my life and I do plan to finally sit down and write out my bucket list because I know that I have to outdo 2012. First of many on the list will be to spend a night in a ice hotel, whether in Quebec or the Scandinavian countries. A 2nd trip to the west coast will be a must of course, and a definite trip to my 5-year reunion in October followed by my 10-year reunion in 2013 (if the world is still around of course).
I think these 6 things embody what I believe to have been good and bad memories of 2011. We lost a few friends in 2011 and made new ones; may those who left us rest peacefully and keep our spots up there warm. God gave me the opportunity to see another year and I must make the best of it. Its not everyone that had this blessing and this something that should never leave anyone’s mind:
“Tomorrow isn’t promised, so make the best of today and remember to love, care, help those in need, party, and live your life as positively as humanly possible.”
