It would seem a season of change is upon my life in more ways that I would have imagined a year ago. But mixed in with the heartbreak, grief, and anxiety also comes excitement and anticipation, because nothing is more renewing that rewriting your own story.

I, like many expats I've met in the past few years, uprooted my life and moved to a new country for love, among other things. And while my relationship may have ended, and I feel sadness and am mourning that loss, I am also filled with hope for the future, my future, one which I am crafting for myself every day. I have no regrets about the choices I have made over the past 3 years, and I have more amazing memories to keep with me than I can count. 

If there is anything that this past year has taught me, it is that I am stronger, braver, and more capable than I will probably ever give myself credit for. I no longer need to be afraid of the future, because I can take care of myself, and make good choices for my life. As my mother is fond of saying, "No education is ever wasted." and I have certainly had an education of the kind you can't learn in school in the past 12 months.

I'm not done with London, not by a long shot. But I don't feel anxiety about where life is going to take me. Where ever I end up in the future, I will always treasure my time in London. This city and I get along just fine.

With the holiday season swiftly approaching, I am looking forward to exploring this city from a new perspective, and I can't wait to see what it has to offer me.  

Thursday, in the wee hours of the morning just past midnight, I submitted my dissertation for my Master's program. I had a strange thought to myself earlier that evening while furiously editing in a panic: after nearly 20 years of my life spent in institutionalized education, I am done.

Now, I know that one never truly stops learning. I have an insatiable hunger for knowledge. You don't go through a Master's in Library Science just because you like books. Still, it feels a bit melancholy to know that the ebb and flow of my life as it was dictated by the school year is changing. In the end it will be a good thing, and a freeing thing, but I think I will allow myself some time to both mourn the passing and celebrate the change at this very big crossroads in my life.

I can look back at the last 4 years of my life and truly say that they have been amazing, and a large part of that has been because of my educational experiences. I hope that in the future I can take more time to stop and appreciate that in the moment, instead of looking back and realizing I should have been relishing the moments when I was fretting or trying to plan for the unforeseeable and uncontrollable

I tend to be very anxious, and worry about the future needlessly. I am trying to let my life unfold here in a way that is natural and healthy, without the extra stress of trying to control things that are out of my grasp.

I have a job that I really enjoy, even if it is not directly related to what I have studied, and I am looking forward to the challenges it will bring in the next year or two.

I have a life in London, and one that I feel comfortable and happy in, with friends and family here. I am inspired by this city, and even for all its flaws, I still love wandering its streets and discovering new things about the history of the places I see every day.

I am incredibly lucky, and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to grow and learn in the ways that I have in the past several years of my life. Bring on the next challenge.