Looking back over my shoulder

It is of course impossible to accurately summarize a whole year, the big things are often the small things that are difficult to specify. Still, a year has passed and hopefully you've advanced in someway, done some good, evolved and learned.

In many ways this has been an amazing year for me;

I started out getting my dream job in january and trying to explain how insanely happy I was here on the blog. Visiting my family in Sweden in february and having a great time, realizing Stockholm isn't such a bad place after all, but that -20 degrees celsius isn't proper weather for a stroll downtown, as if I didn't know that already...

In the spring I applied for a course in International Health at the University of Copenhagen and got in, which felt like a huge win and a formal step towards my future plans. In April I moved back to the only city I call home in Denmark and going to work was a dream most every day, something I've never experienced before. 

In the summer I celebrated two of my friends graduating from med.school and had another short but lovely visit to Sweden. Then on a bit of an impulsive whim I bought a ticket to Los Angeles and had a weird night in Vegas, a fabulous and hot day in Disneyland and some relaxing days in San Diego with the greatest sister in the world. Barely had I come home and knocked down some 24-hour shifts at work before I headed off to Copenhagen and three amazing weeks of being inspired on a daily basis and meeting some of the most interesting people I've ever met.

Moving on to September I had to take a bit of an unexpected trip to Sweden to see my mom, but luckily everything turned out fine and it was a lovely visit. In October the long ago planned weekend in Paris finally arrived! It was so great and well needed that it made me think that from now on I'll try to always have a week or so of vacation in the fall, it gives you energy like you wouldn't believe it. And energy was well needed in the weeks to come. 

November started out with me closing my eyes and jumping into something scary - I finally sent in my MSF application form. The last couple of weeks of November and December were hellish. Way to much work, way to many sick colleagues and way to few days off. I learned to appreciate the insanely huge importance of the weekend when I had a period of about 22 days of work with one day off in the whole period. Not doing that again any time soon... After that horrible period (where I could burst into tears for no specific reason other than exhaustion!) I had the lovely reward of a weekend in Copenhagen with one of my oldest friends. 

After coming home I just had to wait for a few days before my family came down to celebrate Christmas here with me. We had a couple of days together with lot's of food, discussions (because it's not proper family-time if you're not discussing politics, weird new semi-scientific progress and well, the rest of the family...) and also some laughter and gifts. I suppose it's just as it should be.

Now I have one more day left in this year and I'm actually happy that I'll be spending it at work. Some people may say it's unhealthy, weird, sad or pathetic, but I feel at home there. I'll be doing some good and celebrating that this year has given me the privilege of learning how to take care of sick kids, and I get to do it every single day. If what you do the last day of the year says something about what you are going to be doing the next then I'll definitely be in the right place.