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I knew that this was going to be an interesting year. I didn’t feel much different, but once I turned 20, something changed. I wanted to make this an incredible year where I take risks and do whatever makes me happy. And let me tell you, that’s exactly what happened.
On the day of my birthday, my parents were flying back to their home country so I just stayed in my apartment near campus and had a little gathering with my friends. During the day, my closest friends bought a cake and surprised me while we were having lunch. I love them so much. Later on, I went to LCBO and picked up a few drinks. We were going to hang out at my place and just have a little party of our own. In my mind, it’s always better to celebrate with those who mean the most to you instead of a bunch of strangers. That night, we all got pretty wasted, but we were having a great time! We listened to music, played a few games, and shared a few secrets with each other. It was one of the best nights. The only shame is that every birthday has to come to an end eventually.
A few weeks later, I’ve finally decided that I was going to follow through with a longtime wish by getting a tattoo… A real one. I’ve always wanted a tattoo. Ever since I was little, I would get those fake stick on tattoos and put them everywhere. I really really wanted a real one but I wasn’t sure how my parents would react to it and even more importantly, I didn’t know what I wanted to get. I’ve decided to finally get a real tattoo now because I’ve realized that it’s what makes me happy and that I’ll probably regret it if I don’t end up getting one. It’s my life and frankly, I shouldn’t have to care about what other people think. All that matters to me is my happiness. One night, I was trying to think of a few ideas for my tattoo, so I started doodling. I’ve decided that I really wanted something meaningful and unique, so it’s best if I designed it myself. I’ve always been the type to have a lack of confidence and self-esteem, so I thought about the word “Faith”. By having that on my body, I’ll be reminded everyday to have faith in myself and in everything that I’ve done. I sketched it in a cursive type that I really liked and added a little heart at the end. I really really liked this design and was soo ready to get it done. The day came when I was going to finally get this done. I went with one of my really good friends who kept my company through the entire process. I was actually a little nervous going in because I didn’t know what the pain would be like and just the fact that this is something that’s going to be permanently ingrained on my body forever… I didn’t want to make a mistake. The process went really smoothly and the inking didn’t really hurt that much. It was like a lot of minor pinches on my body. I was really happy with the results and I don’t regret a thing.
In the following month, I was still applying for potential co-op job openings. Most of my friends were going to be on a study term so I knew that I would have to be separated from them fro 8 months if I found a job. Nonetheless, if a great opportunity came up, I would definitely take it. It was getting close to exam season and I thought that I wouldn’t find a job. Suddenly, I get this email from a Fintech start-up saying that they wanted to interview me. I got really excited because I knew that this would be an unforgettable experience. A few days later, I found out that I got the job! I was ecstatic but at the same time, a little sad that I would be off-stream from the rest of my friends. But, there was nothing else I could do at that point. All I could do was wait and live my life day by day.
Once exam season started, I was getting so stressed with the amount of studying I had to get done. To add on to that stress, my grandfather’s health wasn’t so great and so my father few back home for a little while. It was really an emotional roller coaster. In the middle of my exams, I get a message from my dad saying that my grandfather passed away… I was devastated. I wasn’t extremely close to him because he was living across the world and I didn’t see him very often. However, he is my grandfather and all I could think about was when I saw him last year and how I gave him a big hug before leaving for my flight back to North America. That was the last time I’ll ever see him again… My parents didn’t want me to fly back for the funeral because I still had exams and they thought that those were more important… Not going back is one of the biggest regrets in my life. I’ll never be able to forgive myself for that…
Approaching the new year, I’ve made a few friends from co-op and we would occasionally hang out after work. My co-op term was coming to an end and I was going to miss everyone. Truly. It was a pleasure to be their co-op. When I got back to school, I made a whole new bunch of friends. They are super chill and I love hanging out with them. They are what got me through the term. Throughout the term, I was also going out a little more with my high school friend and just living life. I even met my boyfriend in the apartment gym! I can honestly say, that this was probably one of the best study terms I’ve ever had. I really liked having a small group of my peers present instead of everyone being on campus. People were nice and things were good.
My 20th year was honestly an incredible year filled with surprises and new challenges. I knew that this was going to be a special year and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.