Reflection of 2012

It's New Years Day on Tuesday a.k.a. the ending of one year and the beginning of another, and it's always at this time that we start to reflect on our achievements, experiences and regrets of the last 12 months and begin to speculate what the next 12 months has in store for us. 

This year more than any other has been a chance for us to feel good about who we are, what we represent and where we are from. It has been a fantastic year to be British, and as an already patriotic individual myself, it has been truly amazing even to witness it. The pleasure I've taken in participating in the Jubilee events, watching Olympians and Paralympians win gold medals, and even seeing the England football team play in Euro 2012 this summer (well, perhaps not the latter) has been phenomenal - singing the national anthem has become something of a recent regularity. As Lord Coe quite rightly stated in his speech at the closing ceremony of The London Paralympic Games:

"there are some famous words you can find stamped on the bottom of a product. Words that, when you read them, you know mean high quality, mean skill, mean creativity. We've stamped those words on the Olympic and Paralympic Games of London 2012. London 2012 – ‘made in Britain’.” 

But it's not just been a year for national achievements - every individual has seen success in their own unique way. One of my own family members and so many of my friends achieved fantastic exam results this summer, not only at University but also at college and sixth form. My incredibly brave best friend went travelling in America for 4 months, something which took real courage to do, especially as she was so far away from home and had never done anything like that before in her life. My little brother gained his brown belt in Karate, an achievement which took real effort and determination. My parents, as always, have completed another year of working hard, not only in their exhausting jobs but also in supporting us three kids. And my brilliant cousin gained a position in the British Army as a musician and our entire family are so incredibly proud of her.

This year has been quite a turning point for me too. On Jan 28th, it is a year since I signed up to blogger.com and began writing (/rambling) on the internet. I was also offered my first ever paid writing job working for a company called Mediarun who advertise particular companies through articles on subject-specific websites. And as well as this, I was appointed News & Current Affairs editor of my University's newspaper, something I thought I'd never manage. So it's been quite a year - some parts have been particularly difficult, but as always you manage through them - pick yourself up, brush yourself off and get on with it.

2013 sees several exciting events, including my parents' 25th wedding anniversary, my brother's 18th birthday and my grandparents' 80th birthdays. Not to mention the beginnings of my final year at Uni, and hopefully plenty more to keep me busy. This year has been a rollercoaster, but enjoyable for nearly every step of the way. For now, I'll look back on 2012 and smile, able to beam with pride when I say "I was there".