2016 was an amazing year for me.

I finished off a solid sophomore year this past May at Case Western. I got to spend a lot of time with some of my best friends this past summer before I left for England. I started my year abroad at one of the best universities in the world and met some pretty wonderful people along the way, and I am already counting down the days until I go back to Oxford. I’m currently traveling India with my family, spending time with extended family and friends and seeing parts of the other country I call home that I’ve never seen before.

So…Yes. My year was incredible.

Now before you all get your claws out and me like “OMG TASHA 2016 WAS TERRIBLE FOR SO MANY REASONS HOW DARE YOU” – I recognize the privilege I have in my saying that my year was amazing.

This year was not wonderful for the world at large.

The Pulse Nightclub shooting was the deadliest mass shooting in the US, as well as the worst instance of deadly violence against the LGBT community at large. Police brutality continued to cause outrage (and rightfully so), with the riots in North Carolina and the live Facebook shooting of Philando Castile being just a few examples from this year alone. Brexit rattled the world, testing the strength of the European Union and caused many people to become concerned about the rise of the radical right. Brock Turner’s pathetic slap-on-the-wrist punishment for the rape of a female student at Stanford University left thousands outraged about his lack of punishment. Violence continues to rage on in Aleppo, with hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children dying due to human rights abuses. Thousands of refugees are fleeing for their lives, and fear mongering around the world has left many of them homeless and helpless. The world watched a hate-spewing egomaniac get elected President of the United States, and we are now less than a month away from his inauguration. Hell, Carrie Fisher AND Debbie Reynolds passed away this week alone (I grew up in a Star Wars-loving family). And that’s just naming only a handful of the issues that have plagued 2016.

So, yes – while my year personally was good for me, I do agree that this year for the world in general was horrible.

I hope that this doesn’t come across as bragging, like “Oh, everyone should just be quiet because I had a fantastic year, and that’s all that matters.” That’s not at all what I’m trying to say. In a world filled with so much negativity, combined with the fact that so many horrible things happened this past year, I think it’s important – perhaps necessary, even – to reflect on the positive things in our personal lives, no matter how big or small. I know there’s a level of privilege to this as well, and I also know that for many people, it might be difficult to focus on happy things, especially if they are quite small.

I also find it somewhat odd that I, of all people, am saying this, and I’m sure many of my close friends who are reading this also feel the same way, considering that I’m usually a very cynical and pessimistic person. I know for many people in the US. right now, the future is uncertain and frightening. Quite honestly, I feel the same way, even though I’m significantly more isolated from it right now seeing as I don’t currently live in the country. Even though I’m scared for the future, I can’t help but be excited for what 2017 has in store for me and for the people around me, especially since the last few months of 2016 were some of the best of my life.

Happy New Year, everyone. Let’s hope that 2017 brings us all a little more joy.

Love,

Tasha

“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” -Khalil Gibran