*Obligatory Sappy Year End Post*

Look, I can’t dent it. This year was kick ass. Trying to sum it all up is too overwhelming. So instead I think I will do it with pictures.

In January I started running with a new gang. Little did I know this gang would lead my down the path of depravity and french pastries. (And by depravity I mean more french pastries.)

February I dedicated myself to writing and wrote a 115,000 word novel in a mere 20 days. The story just puked out of me. But I would crawl out from under my mound of words to go out sometimes for food and hikes and activities with friends. My wounded leg was finally beginning to feel better, though it still ached when I walked too much.

March was a big month for me. Our little group gelled into “Xiamen Top 14” and soon in addition to the sports, all the dinner parties started. Also, it was the month I started playing BADMINTON. Though it was just a silly activity I sucked at and just played for fun to be with my friends.

April is the month the heat came. God I hate the heat.

May was the month of the beach. Beach frisbee, beach frisbee tournament, beach parties and beach hanging out. Also used my filled up passport as an excuse to go to Shanghai to see my friends (and add pages to my passport).

Birthday month! And the month I began wearing my sweatband 24/7. I wouldn’t stop wearing those sweatbands until late November. Also the month I began thinking serious about badminton. Was this something I wanted to continue….?

July is the month of goodbye and freedom! With the school year ending there was a lot of farewell parties and sad goodbyes. Then I started my trip out to Gansu and Xinjiang Province.

More traveling and came back to indoor parties. I even stopped going to frisbee it was so damn hot. The only exception was camping (the middle picture) because I could just swim in the clean water for hours. (Literally. That’s all I did. In the cool water from when we arrived to when the sun went down.) But decided that badminton was something I wanted to take serious and began playing twice a week. Also, realized I needed a teacher as I was miserable and knew nothing.

Talked to friends. Got a lead on a potential badminton coach. I also walked 25km in one night because….why not? I had nothing else to do? Also, more food and fun with Top 14.

‘Nother big party month with one of the Top 14 getting married! Had some visitors, started having one-on-one badminton classes, began to feel a coolness in the breeze (though wasn’t cold. Not yet.)

Finally the weather broke and while a daytime jacket wasn’t necessary, a night time jacket was which was exciting as hell for me. I started annoying my friends by talking about how nice the weather was (continuously, non-stop). Can you tell I’m a bit obsessed by the weather?

Invigorated by the cooler temps I played badminton, went to frisbee, hiked, and spent all day everyday outdoors. Also, saw my first snow in Xiamen when a Christmas market hired a snow machine for the entrance. The day was in the 60’s (17C) but it was nice to see even fake snow. Also, we had our first ever Xiamen Ultimate Open in which 300 people from all over China (and Hong Kong and Taiwan) to play.

So it was a whirlwind year! Met amazing people, did amazing things. Not everything was perfect (there was one major dark cloud stemming from something that happened exactly a year ago tonight–but the less said the better) but I kinda can’t help but marvel at the life I fell into. Moving to Xiamen was all gravy, and I really have my friends to thank for that. They are 100% responsible for all the fun and good things that have happened to me here.  Just don’t tell them I said that. I don’t want them thinking I’m getting soft.

Here’s to another spin around the sun. *Cheers*