It's been a decade !

2020

A year of great promise. An entire decade has passed me by and its been an adventure. During every experience in this decade, I must say it led me to the person I am today. I am grateful for every encounter, every wrong and right decision and every moment as it was very crucial to the woman I am today.

I haven't posted in quite some time and I vowed to write more in this new year and new decade. So of course my first post will be a bit cliche but here is a quick review of this entire decade...

2010

I was 16 years old and this was the most memorable year of my teenage life. It was the beginning of my "party" days, the year I graduated secondary school, the year I made so many childish impulsive decisions, stopped playing volleyball consistently, the year I broke my own heart, the year my best friend migrated, the year friendships were defined and also the year I got indulged in a "situation-ship". This year taught be the importance of being honest. Today I can say I'm grateful for the memories I made throughout that year and the experience I’ve gained.

2011

During this year I did not make school ( first year of 6th form) an utmost priority which resulted in redoing most of my subjects in 2012. I had just rejoined my secondary school to complete my two years of A-levels. I went out a lot with my friends, spent a great deal of time with my family and was still making decisions off of impulse. I became really stressed from school and my decisions, so much so, that I lost a significant amount of weight coming to the end of the year.

2012

A year of fantastic memories. To name a few; I completed my A levels this time with much better results, I went on my first trip with my friends (parent-less), started university and attended the 2012 Olympics in London. The lows of this year taught me the importance of self love and putting my happiness first.

2013

A year I gained so many friendships I still treasure today. This year was very eventful, honestly did so much adventures with my family and friends and of course during that time you are not thinking of school. I had my license at that time and my mother gave me a car and I could definitely say I was maybe out every other weekend. A decision I am not proud of. This year also ended on a high note, meeting my best friend which is maybe deserving of another blog post at another time.

2014

The year I decided to be more deliberate and careful with my actions. Over the years I had plans written which I wanted to accomplish at a certain age and the both lives I was pursuing wasn't about to get me there. I became more motivated to finish school and do better in school, be a better person and acknowledge the decisions I was making. I even redecorated my bedroom and put my favorite bible verse (Psalm 112:7) up on the walls, " She has no fears because her heart is steadfast trusting the Lord" as a form of motivation. I partied less and became more focused throughout this year. This was also the year I started a long distance relationship which was also another adventure in itself.

2015

I left my mother's house, I was 21 at the time , it was the beginning of the year and at the time I labelled that as a low point for me but now it's the greatest blessing that has happened for my mother and I and our relationship. Within that year I was working part time and I also started a very small online make-up business which was also known as "Keiz to the city". In the middle of this year I remember being robbed of approximately $1000 US and although the encounter was not head on, the act itself reminded me how things can change in an instant. This year I think I was determined by all means to end it off on a high note. This year taught me the importance of being alert, being aware and being honest.

2016

A year of mending and support; mending relationships, friendships and supporting my friends and family. I think this year I attended the most gatherings I have in all of my years; two weddings, an engagement, a baptismal, two graduations, at least 5/6 birthday celebrations, a "Soca Monarch" and my own surprise birthday celebration. During this year it was also a real test of our long distance relationship, it was no walk in the park by this time. At the end of the year it taught me the importance of forgiveness and support.

2017

The year focusing on me became pivotal and became noted as one of the hardest years of my life. I knew I still had things to accomplish and at the beginning of the year it was very rough and I became very stagnant. I decided to pursue and research universities for my masters, I applied only to one university, University of Strathclyde and it would be the school I attended later down in the year. Unfortunately, before that happened I fell really ill, in addition, face many other financial complications, but God had more in-store for me. After a month of falling ill, I finally moved to Scotland and started my masters. I think that was the high point in my entire year, doing something I never thought I'd be doing. The year itself taught me the importance of consistency.

2018

My phrase for that year was " what God wanted for me will happen". I knew I was approaching the finish line for my academic goals and I knew I was unsure of my next step. I constantly prayed for discernment in every decision I made. The first half of the year was mostly focusing on school and writing my thesis. Then I graduated university, I started working, I got an apartment, and then realized I would be moving again. This year I gained so many great friends. A really great memory was my family being able to physically support me during my graduation ceremony especially my parents who I am eternally grateful for.

2019

A year of learning. If you've read my previous blog post on my "road to Dubai" you'll know that I currently reside in Dubai. This all happened approximately a year ago as I write this and it was a big change but a change I am definitely happy with. I got engaged, traveled, got baptized, bought my dream car, made great friends whilst sharing the experience with my best friend which has been a dream come true. I have scratched so many "momentous" things off my list but as the year ended you realize the things you were so fascinated by at the beginning of the year is no longer the things you want to fixate on for the upcoming year or decade. This was indeed however a great year.

I think as the decade has ended, I reflect on how I've grown, how the things I've checked off my list may not be as fulfilling as the reality and what is really important in life. I'm not saying in ten years I have everything figured out, but ten years does really shape and mold you. Seeing other cultures and how people live also opens your mind to things outside of ourselves and our own selfish desires. My advice to anyone reading this is; don't give up at the sign of any deterrent, things happen so that better things can fall into place. Also, not everyone will understand your decisions but it isn't everyone's life, now is it? Lastly, ensure every decision, action and goal is for you and no one else, whilst keeping in mind you have to trust God and put Him first.

So many more things has happened in this decade, some needing their own posts but one think I can say about this decade it really has emphasized the importance of having God in every area of your life and having a relationship with Him.