things i learned in 2017

what a thrilling subject! personal growth! political upheaval! lots of learning! let's talk about my own personal-life takeaways from 2017!

1.    some years are full of baby goats. this was one of them, and it was Wonderful. 
2.  optimism is hard. it's not always natural. but it's w o r t h it
3.  facilitating your own adventures sometimes means you get lost in London in the rain at like 11pm and you're wandering around trying to find your hostel which is actually an old court house and some of the rooms are former prison cells and you're not super sure what your room is but there are bars on the window and it fits 5 bunk beds. you'll find it eventually.
4.  sometimes the best art in milan is the weird portrait of kim kardashian in your hostel
5.  check to make sure you have your notebook with you when you get off the bus!!! 
6.  sometimes your anxieties are correct but guess what!! the world does not end during or after this panic attack. it is okay!! eventually!
7.  if you use a dating app in the south and have a picture of you with joe biden, there's a chance people will report it as offensive 
8.  speaking of joe biden, his advice: "Don't refer to the former vice president of the united states as 'joe'"
9.  my advice: do it anyway
10.  in order to make new friends, find random facebook events that include pumpkin carving with goats and then invite those three people from your english class to go with you. 
11.  brooklyn 99? honestly, a work of Art
12.  you might be jetlagged, but guess what!! you can climb a mountain and then sled down it and still not get frostbite. 
13.  communication is hard and sometimes uncomfortable but ultimately good!
14.  sometimes shitty poetry turns good after you, like, edit it a lot. also mary de rachelwiltz compared me to her friend marianne moore and that's not a lesson that's just me bragging because !!!!
15.  i can look cute in a crop top!! i can look cute! beauty isn't important but self confidence is and this year i have learned to keep my head up. 
16.  your mild obsession with research is something you can monetize in the form of work study and put it to use helping people!! and your note taking is good for being a secretary of a club! and tendency to want to plan things carefully is good for starting a club! 
17.  there are so many good people in the world and i met so many in 2017 and i am thankful for all of you.