What can I say... 2014 was by far the greatest year of my life, and quite frankly one that will be utterly impossible to top. But in reality, it’s not about trying to top your last year, it’s about trying to top the person you were last year and learning to grow from the highs and lows masked behind a series of memorable regrets experiences.

While I wish I could say 2014 was a breeze, the honest to God truth is that it was filled with lots of anxiety, stress, and enough tears to fill the river Justin Timberlake asked me to cry him a decade ago. The trouble started early on in January when my UK visa was issued nearly 2 weeks late, which delayed the arrival to my first professional job post-graduation. My year couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start and for a second, I thought I’d be denied clearance to work in the UK. It was like watching my dreams flash before my eyes. I was sick to my stomach for two weeks not having any answers or direct contact with anyone from the embassy.

After that nightmare phase passed, I only had a guaranteed contract until the end of May, but when June came, the U.S. was the furthest place on my mind. There was no way I was ready to leave Europe because it felt like I just got there, and it took a one-way ticket, faith, and a depleted savings account to establish myself in a country where I spoke no more than 10 words of their language to realize that THIS is exactly where I’m supposed to be. Barcelona, Spain.

So whether you started following my journey 3 years ago or 3 months ago, let me catch you up to speed with how a 6-month contract turned into a 1-year stay in the gorgeous continent of Europe.

2014 was a year full of a whole lotta good, a whole lotta bad, and a HELL of a lotta awkward. But all of it has turned out to shape the most incredible year I could ever imagine. So now, a quick look back at some of my favorite moments from the year.

BOOKING A ONE-WAY TICKET TO EUROPE

THE GOOD: With an open-return, I could virtually come back whenever I wanted (read: when funds were depleted)
THE BAD: Crossing my fingers that the anal customs officers at the airports would never ask to see my proof of return.
THE AWKWARD: Announcing my departure to everyone as December 27th and not being cleared to leave by the embassy until January 12th, ha. Awk.

GETTING MY UK VISA ISSUED

THE GOOD: I was legally allowed to live and work in the UK
THE BAD: Despite paying $150 for 2-day expedited service, my visa was issued a whole 2 weeks late, postponing my arrival and costing me nearly $800 of flight changes/expenses. (Although the ticket I still left the country on was only $345)
THE AWKWARD: Arriving to my first post-graduate job late and trying to explain to the boss that all my paperwork wasn’t ready despite starting the process 5 months prior, and subsequently needing a pay-advance to get out of the hole I dug myself.

WORKING AT HARLAXTON

THE GOOD: Getting to live in a “castle” again! Who could pass up calling this place home... twice!
THE BAD: Living and working in the same building with 160 students means your personal life and work life must learn to co-exist 
THE AWKWARD: Finally growing balls large enough to address my former professors by their first name as they now became my colleagues

DREAM BIRTHDAY GETAWAY IN SANTORINI, GREECE

THE GOOD: Spending my 24th birthday on one of the most gorgeous islands in the world (not my words)
THE BAD: Renting a car for the week and driving the first 10 miles on the wrong side of the road as I thought they drove on the same side as the Brits. Whoops!
THE AWKWARD: A man walking up to me, grabbing my hand, holding our arms next to each other and exclaiming “The contrast! Look at it! So beautiful!” Then kissing my hand before I took off like Usain Bolt on a 100-meter dash.

GOING TO BEYONCE’S MRS.CARTER TOUR IN LONDON

THE GOOD: Snagging tickets right before they sold out
THE BAD: Having to choose between her and Justin Timberlake both holding concerts in London the same week
THE AWKWARD: I may or may not have tinkled in my pants just a teeny bit when “Drunk in Love” came on, partly due to excitement, partly due to holding in my piss for 5 hours, afraid to have lost my good spot in line earlier

SOLO TRAVELING

THE GOOD: Forcing yourself to get out of your comfort zone and talk to locals, often giving you a more authentic experience of a country
THE BAD: Being followed once in London to a train station by a man who was upset I didn’t want to talk to him, resulting in verbal harassment and three police officers escorting him away
THE AWKWARD: No wingman.

BACKPACKING TO 3 COUNTRIES IN 3 DAYS

THE GOOD: Taking advantage of a weekend and squeezing in 3 new countries I hadn’t yet traveled to. And also fitting everything inside a standard-sized Jansport backpack
THE BAD: Doing everything in my power not to sleep because I only had 36 hours in each country, and ended up looking slightly drugged in the pics I took over that weekend
THE AWKWARD: Explaining to your bank that yes it’s possible to have transactions in multiple countries in one week for the next time they want to unknowingly shut down your card claiming “fraudulent activity” for the second time that month

MY MOTHER VISITING ME IN EUROPE (LONDON/PARIS)

THE GOOD: Showing her why I fell in love with this continent and how I’m doing just fine being on my own
THE BAD: Arguing about graduate school or when I’d be coming home at least once a day
THE AWKWARD: Upon our arrival in Paris, her complaining that French people eat too much bread and initially trying to pay for a baguette with American dollars.

BECOMING FLUENT IN SPANISH

THE GOOD: Being bilingual is sexy. Glo wants to be sexy.
THE BAD: Regularly butchering basic Spanish jargon and being overwhelmingly awkward when put in a public setting. Also, accidentally saying “Muy bien!” when a woman was sharing that her other dog passed away. Those don’t make the greatest default words when you’re tired of nodding your head.
THE AWKWARD: Accidentally asking a guy if he wanted to exchange tongues when I meant do a language exchange. This is now my go-to pickup line. KIDDING. I think.

ACTIVELY DATING AGAIN

THE GOOD: Meeting plenty of eligible bachelors from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds
THE BAD: Loving my independent life too much. Realizing that it will either end in a marriage or a break-up. Not emotionally ready to deal with either. Bail out while I still have my wine and Nutella in reach.
THE AWKWARD: Because of the lack of black women in Spain, most of them tend to be prostitutes, so I always have to make an effort to dress extra smart and look like I wasn’t just “purchased” when out at night.

STARTING AN ENGLISH ACADEMY IN SPAIN

THE GOOD: A passive income and an easy way to make money on the side
THE BAD: Starting this academy without having any type of teaching experience prior, and trial & error’ing my first month through
THE AWKWARD: A girl telling her mother something was wrong with me because I only spoke English. Explaining how that just can’t be possible.

PLAYING SEMIPRO BASKETBALL IN SPAIN

THE GOOD: Getting paid to play a sport I love in a European league. Surreal!
THE BAD: Struggling through the first couple months of practice with my little knowledge of Catalan, I understood roughly .005% of what was being said at practices
THE AWKWARD: Not being able to explain why I’m right, or anything to refs, because they hardly spoke English

PARTICIPATING IN 1ST ANNUAL BARCELONA SANTACON

THE GOOD: Being part of the group who was the first to bring this American tradition to this city
THE BAD: Some locals thinking we were batsh*t crazy foreigners, since they had no idea why we were all dressed like Santa at 2pm on a Saturday
THE AWKWARD: Trying to maintain any type of soberness when taking pics with kids, despite our 8-hour time span of bar-hopping

CELEBRATING MY BLOG’S 1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

THE GOOD: My teeny little site has somehow reached the screens of readers in over 35 countries. Whoa.
THE BAD: Doing a poor job of writing new content on a weekly/bi-weekly basis
THE AWKWARD: Having a reader once ask me what countries are near Spain. As if their Google wasn’t working.

Hope you enjoyed that! Here’s to 2015 and plenty more good, bad, and awkward memories to come!

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