Let's get the doom-and-gloom out of the way first; in February my boyfriend of almost three years and I broke up. Neither of us did anything wrong, but it was one of those crippling cases of 'what if?' and I just couldn't shake it. Nobody should have to feel like they're settling for something that's less than perfect and I think we were both scared of being alone. It took a while (and several bottles of wine), but I can definitely see that it was a positive thing now. It's important to know who you are by yourself and know that you can be happy without relying on someone else to provide it for you.
Okay, I'm out of my pseudo-guru state. Now for some positives.
My university has an event called 'Escape and Evade' where you have 60 hours to try get as far away as possible. Sounds simple, until you add in the fact that you have to do that for free. Yes, that means hitch-hiking. No, my mother wasn't happy about it. My housemate and I, both craving that 'strong independent woman' feeling having both recently gone through break-ups, decided to take on the challenge. I can safely say it was both one of the best and the worst things I've ever done. We managed to get to Zagreb in Croatia just by taking lifts from random foreign strangers- often standing outside petrol stations in -5 degree temperatures. It was really draining, but the sense of accomplishment we felt at the end of the 60 hours was incredible. It's something I'll always be proud of - I raised £300 for local charities too - and a story that I hope makes my future children think that their mum was 'cool' once.
Continuing on the travelling theme, for two and a half weeks during summer my best friend Kerrie and I went interrailing. We flew to Berlin, then headed to Prague, Krakow, Budapest, Zagreb (it was nice to experience it again when it was sunny instead of snowing), finishing in the gorgeous Lake Bled in Slovenia. We had a great time, saw some beautiful places and met lots of people. My one piece of advice; do not trust online forums that say that you don't need to reserve a seat for that delightful 7 hour daytime journey. It is lying and you will end up sat by the toilet for at least half the journey. Oh and be wary where you sit in the Tiergarten in Berlin. There is a nudist area and despite what you may think, you will look like the odd one out sat innocently eating your sandwiches while thirty or so naked adults soak up the sun.
Moving on; I've loved Haim since I first heard 'Don't Save Me' at the beginning of 2013. I counted down the days until their album was released and as soon as I heard they would be touring at the end of the year, I made it my mission to get tickets. Kerrie and I went to see them at the HMV Institute in Birmingham at the start of December and it was probably the best gig I've ever been to. Before I went I had a huge girl crush on Este and I can only say that that crush increased ten-fold after seeing them live. Despite the fact that Danielle (usually the lead singer) was ill and didn't sing most of her usual songs, I think it's a testament to how amazing they are that I didn't mind one bit when the other two Haim sisters stepped in to fill her shoes. I hate to sound like a 13 year old but, for lack of better words, they are just so cool. A friend told me once that I looked like I should be the fourth sister, and I resolve to maintain this standard as long as I can get away with wearing red lipstick all day every day. Okay, my gushing is over.
Finally a few other un-photographable snippets for the year; I passed my second year of uni with a decent 2.1, which hopefully has put me in a good position for third year. My sister got engaged and will be getting married this August.
All things considered, 2013 has been a pretty good year for me. It's been quite an important year in terms of, for lack of less clichéd words, 'personal growth' and with university finishing this year I have no doubt that 2014 will continue in the same way. But, I have another post on the way purely for my resolutions, so enough of that for now.
How was your year?
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