2010: The Year of Self-Discovery

It made me sad this morning to see the number of facebook messages of people who cannot wait for 2010 to be over. I've been very lucky this year. We are one of the only families I know to have not lost anybody this year, and for that I am thankful.For me, 2010 has been a wonderful year.

I made resolutions for 2010 and I think I've done pretty well with them, except that I still bite my nails!!

This year has truly been a year of finding out who I am.

About a year ago I decided I wanted to be a fashion journalist. Now, when I want something I am like a dog with a bone. I am determined and passionate and ready to work hard to get what I want. I dedicated this year to doing everything I could to make my CV the best it could be. I worked desperately and unpaid for 2 weeks at a silk manufacturers, hoping it would be slightly related to the fashion career I wanted. I contacted anyone and everybody to ask if I could intern with them, or write for them. I re-applied to work at College Fashion and am now about to start my second semester with them. I write for The Fashion Buzz every week. I had an opportunity to go to Graduate Fashion Week thanks to Student Fashion Blog. I worked hard on my blog and have afforded many opportunities as a result of it. I started The Lovely Ones, and I can't wait to see how we'll grow in the next year.

I started writing for a local magazine and did my first interviews and real reporting. I walked into the university newspaper office in Duluth and asked if I could write. A few weeks later I had a weekly column.
But the thing that has shaped me the most was moving away. And coming back.

Before I left I knew my life was pretty great. I know I bang on about them all the time, but I have the most amazing friends. My uni friends are my family when I'm in Birmingham. I'd finally found a group who I felt completely myself around, and I was dreading having to leave that behind. I had a good job, great social life and I loved to to busy- dancing with the dance society, writing for the paper, working, doing my uni work.I wasn't ready to leave. What reason did I have to leave?

But I went. I went away to America, 4000 miles away, and I proved that I could do it. I left all my friends and family and made a new life for myself. If you've been reading my blog you'll know all about my year abroad so I won't go on about it. But I left and after a few weeks I was settled in. I've made some amazing friends, had some amazing experiences and met so many amazing people.

But I also learnt how much I love my home. How much I love and miss England, my friends and my family. And I've learnt that nothing has changed and it never will. It feels like I've never left. My friends are still my friends. Everything and everyone I left is still here. And it's good to be home.

I'm excited for 2011. This is the year I will turn 21, finish my year abroad and start my final year of University. It is the year I will do work experience at the Sunday Express. It is the year I will go to New York and Chicago and California. Now I've found myself it's time to discover the rest of the world.

I'll be writing resolutions. Have an amazing New Year's (I personally hate New Year's Eve- I just love the excitement of a New Year and a new start) and I'll see you in 2011!!


xxx