2012

I am spending the day after the New Year bank holidays clearing up after 2011: cleaning, sorting, getting healthy food in and taking time to say my “thank yous”. So it felt like a good time to have a think about some of my hopes for 2012. I am reluctant to set hard and fast resolutions as things are still so changeable that I don’t think I can rely on being able to achieve specific targets. Instead I’d rather think about some priorities for the coming year as well as what I am looking forward to most.

Top of my list is to see much much more of Northern Ireland. Since I moved about three months ago I have spent most of my time in Belfast, only venturing to Holywood, Larne and Newtownards once each. I have yet to explore the Black Mountains, or see any of the coast and Derry remains unknown to me. Having said that there are some key events happening in 2012 that would be silly to miss in Belfast. The biggest of which being Belfast’s commemoration to the sinking of the Titanic ship in April 1912. I’ve already booked my ticket to the brand new exhibition opening in the Titanic Quarter on the 31^st March 2012. I also have to admit that I am looking forward to St Patrick’s Day on 17^th March. It might be a cliché but I’ve taken part in celebrations of the patron saint in London in the past and I can’t wait to see how the Irish really do it – especially on a Saturday!

Another priority this year for me is to continue to meet and make new friends over here. Whether it is in new work environments as my placements change, or through new housemates or new hobbies. I have met some enormously friendly and generous people already and it’s their welcome that has encouraged me to broaden my social scope. I know there are so many sides to life in Northern Ireland that meeting new people will be one way of introducing me to the sides I haven’t seen yet.

Professionally, my aim for this year is to consolidate the existing networks and ties I have and build new ones. Tomorrow I will be starting my second placement working with a whole new team. I am excited at the prospect and am ready to work hard to contribute well to the project. I may work for two more companies before the year is out making the experiences I will have had working in a team, with different companies and different styles and approaches, varied and diverse. I intend to leave each placement knowing that the company and team I worked with want to work with me again.

As long as I can keep these aims in sight then I will be able to make the most of the 12 months ahead and feel like 2012 was a year well spent.