Accomplishments & Resolutions

2017 was a year of growing and adapting. I moved to Belgium in late 2016. I now have a full year living abroad in Europe under my belt. Every day held new opportunities to learn.

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Here are the things I am proud I accomplished in 2017:

I learned French. Honestly, I never pictured myself learning French. I married a Belgian, so naturally, my need to learn French went from not in the picture to absolutely necessary. Belgium is a tricky country for languages... Buckle up for my attempt to make this description short. Belgium sits right in the middle of three power countries, France, Netherlands, and Germany. To claim one language would compromise their neutral position. To be all-inclusive, Belgium has three national languages: French, Dutch, and German. The Northern part speaks Dutch, the Southern part speaks French, and a tiny, tiny piece in the East speaks German. Brussels is the nucleus close to the center that embraces the two most spoken languages: French and Dutch.

Before I learned French, I was able to get by with English. What inclined me to learn French, as opposed to Dutch, was that every time I encountered a person who could not speak English, it was consistently with a Francophone. Those who spoke Dutch always knew enough English to help me. Another factor was that the majority of my husband's friends spoke French. Though some knew English, the conversation would inevitably switch to French at some point and leave me in the dark. I would just have to sit quietly and smile.

Learning French allowed me to participate in the culture around me, and engage more with my new family and friends in their native language. But golly is it hard! You would think that being immersed in the language would have allowed me to naturally pick it up, but French is incredibly confusing because many letters in a word are not pronounced. Consonants are often ignored. This made it difficult to pick out individual words. It was all mush to my ears. It started to make sense when I enrolled in French courses. I had hopes that since I already knew Spanish, another romantic language, it would give me an advantage. And, It did; with reading and understanding sentence structure, but the pronunciation was like mouth gymnastics. The French vowels, in particular, had me chewing on a tough piece of taffy. With time, that taffy got easier to chew, and French began to feel more natural. I started to understand and communicate in French. It was a huge step in my ability to interact in my new Belgian life, and I am proud I stuck through the difficult process.

I ditched my push-up bra. Time to talk about underwear. I almost deleted this part because of its intimate nature (haha, get it?), but this small decision really made a big difference in my body acceptance in 2017. I am naturally small-chested, and every time I went to buy a bra, I would end up searching through the push-ups. I never thought I was insecure, but I realize now that time and time again I had fallen for the belief that my small chest was a problem when I stepped into a lingerie store. Signs reading, "Adds TWO cups!", and "Very Sexy Push-Up!" made me feel my little "dilemma" needed some encouraging padding. These bras have an uncomfortable stiff structure with unyielding underwire. I assumed it was what I had to put up with. One day, while in a & Other Stories store, purchasing a bra wasn't even on my mind. I stumbled into their lingerie section and spotted a dainty one in my size. My curiosity begged me to try it on. I marveled in the dressing room mirror how cute it was, and IT WAS COMFORTABLE. I didn't want to take it off. This seemingly small decision made an impactful change. Being physically comfortable in my little bra, allowed me to also be more comfortable emotionally with myself. It addressed an insecurity I was reluctant to acknowledge.

I committed to being pescatarian (again) I was briefly pescatarian before I left for Europe, but once I arrived, I decided that I would fully embrace the cultures I encountered, which included their cuisines. I allowed myself to eat meat. But, I got to a point in 2017 where I did not feel good, ethically or ecologically, about eating meat. I had guilt that panged me when I bought or consumed chicken, beef, or pork. I started asking myself why I was resisting. I knew my excuses to cover up the guilt were hollow, so I made the decision and stuck to it. I now cook mostly vegetarian and vegan meals with the occasional seafood. I feel much better emotionally and physically about my choice which has also enabled me to enjoy my food more.

I became a dog mom. I have always dreamed of the day I would have my own dog. I grew up in a house full of animals, and I have worked in a dog daycare and a veterinary clinic. I was well aware of how much commitment they were, so I resisted getting a dog until I felt my lifestyle would allow me to be a good dog mom. Well, that moment came in 2017. My husband had always dreamed of having an English Bulldog. Nothing close to what my dream dog was. But after some thought, I figured it could work. I will never forget the joyous smile on my husband's face when I told him we could get one. Panda has taught me to practice more patience, kindness, and gratitude for simple things; and that love should be given unconditionally in heaps and heaps of kisses, smiles, and hugs.

What I am looking forward to in 2018

Fully embracing Brussels. Time for a big announcement: My husband and I are starting his Green Card process because we have decided to move to The States this year. To be honest, though the idea of being near my family and friends again is exciting, I don't want to leave Belgium. But the timing is right for multiple reasons we can't ignore. So, until we depart, I want to genuinely get to know the city that has become my second home. Belgium is famous for some of the best comfort foods: Chocolate, waffles, beer, and fries. I plan on becoming an expert in all of these before we leave. I also am setting a goal to visit a new cafe every week and a new museum every month to expand my dining and historical knowledge. Here's to Brussels.

Moving back to the USA. This is going to be a doozy... Moving myself to Europe was a huge task, even though I had parted with most of my possessions. Now, there are two of us, a dog, an apartment full of stuff, and all the fun paperwork in between. This is not going to be easy, but I have wonderful things to look forward to: reconnecting with family and friends I have missed so much, having the opportunity to go hiking and camping in the Pacific Northwest again, attending a Christian church in English, and not having to pay for water at a restaurant.

Writing and reading with more intention. I am holding myself accountable (and you should too!) to post a blog once a week. I enjoy writing (no surprise there), and committing myself to weekly goals will push my writing skills. I have had the resolution to read twelve books in a year for four years in a row, but never accomplished it. Reading is a hobby of mine, but I also consider it a tool. It helps stir my creative thoughts and inspires new threads for me to write about. Books are also my way of keeping up with pop culture. I enjoy reading what is trending to participate in the collective conversation and mentality. 2018 is going to be the year I read twelve books! Follow me on Goodreads to see what I am reading, and Let me know if you have any reading suggestions! I will read any genre.

Getting back into a regular workout schedule. Well, isn't this the most cliché New Years resolution, but bear with me for one more paragraph. Being physically active is important to me. I feel best when I am strong and fit. Since I left on my backpacking trip and moved to Europe, I made many adjustments, and my gym routine got tossed out the window. Habitually, I eat healthily, so I don't see much of a difference on the scale, but I feel weak and winded when I climb the stairs, and that part I can't stand. Where I struggle is with consistency. I can have two great weeks of going to the gym, and then watch the entire series of Outlander on Netflix the next. I'm ready to make a more serious commitment to my well-being in 2018. Plus, I need something to balance out all the chocolate and waffles I will be consuming.

What did you accomplish in 2017 that you are proud of?

Do you have any goals similar to mine? Have any tips to keep focused?

Let me hear it!