It has been almost one year since I've written in this blog. In many cases, one year means nothing. Even for people, one year is often not long enough to change a person much once they get past the age of 10. But this year meant a lot to me.
This last year has been the most influential year of my life. I look back at myself 12 months ago, and see a distinctly different person with a different way of approaching life. Many things happened this year that changed me significantly. I...
Took on a research project, and got fired.
Fell in love.
Had my heart broken.
Spent more time skiing in Whistler than in school.
Dropped my physics major.
Helped write a website, Geozette that I'd been dreaming of doing for a while.
Got an internship at Google.
Won a prestigious national scholarship, and had my name plastered over the University of Washington.
Taught an introductory Computer Science class for two quarters.
Went to places like Colorado, and New York on my own.
Slept in cars, houses that were not mine, and hospital rooms.
Lost my father.
Somehow, many of the experiences that people often consider significantly impacted their lives happened all at once for me. Suddenly I became very aware of the different worlds people live in, and the many hardships they experience. Things that seemed very important to me before (mostly grades, and taking many classes) didn't seem to matter any more. I became much more patient, and much less shy. I learned that in this world there are some things we cannot change, and we need to accept that. Most importantly though, I learned about the importance of friendship. A lonely person is not a happy person, regardless of how much fame and success they have. There is no better feeling in the world than to feel loved and cared for.
I hope that in the past year I have been a good friend. And I hope that I will stay a good friend until I die. That would make me happiest.
