Is this a late blog post? I wouldn’t say so, if you take into consideration that I just finished celebrating Vietnamese New Year. But maybe if you’re looking at it from the aspect of we’re near the end of February, then I would get it, but I’m going to reflect now anyway. Maybe there is a part of me that feels it’s easier to look backward right now than to focus on the present. There is a lot going on right now.
1. Starting 2023 with Asanti
It was something I wanted since watching the first High School Musical, to start the year off with someone special. Typically, I start off the year with my sisters playing board games until midnight and watching the ball drop on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (maybe falling asleep at 11 and waking up at 11:45…). This isn’t a bad way to start off the year, but it is how I commonly start. Sometimes you want something different, and 2023 was the year I got to start by doing something different. It was definitely something that made me happy.
2. Seattle, Twice
I don’t think anything can top the fact that I got to go to Seattle for the first time to attend the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference. It is probably really nerdy of me to say that attending a writing conference feels like Christmas for me, but it does. There’s nothing like being in a city full of people who share a passion with you, and you can bet that I made like a bandit in the book fair.
The second time I went because Asanti had a work assignment there, so I made like a clingy girlfriend and tagged along too. Just kidding; of course, he always invites me when he travels. It makes me happy to tag along with him. It can sometimes feel like a long-distance relationship when he’s gone so often, so if my schedule allows for it, I try to tag along too.
3. I spent the whole year in my MFA.
Back to being a nerd: the fact that I spent January to December in an MFA program, doing the thing that I always wanted for myself, has made me feel so fulfilled. I am so fortunate that I get to go to school doing the thing that I always wanted for myself, and even on the days when I’m not sleeping much, I can say that I happily signed up for this. Even when teaching gets me down, there are some really great parts of this too. Thinking about graduating soon kind of makes me teary.
(I didn’t realize that I used this photo twice on my Instagram feed until now, so if you see this here, feel free to call me out on it).
Has 2024 been everything you wanted for yourself? Or are you still thinking about how 2023 impacted you? Are there any changes you were hoping for that you haven’t gotten to yet? I would love to know in the comments below!
I know I’ve been pretty inconsistent here, but can you blame a girl for living her life? Probably. But I appreciate you for joining me on this journey anyway. Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and if you enjoyed it, please be sure to let me know by liking this post and commenting your thoughts. And of course, it always helps me out if you take the time to subscribe to the blog so you get updates on when I publish here, and to share posts that you enjoy with your friends.
Love Always,
Kristi My
Kristi My Dao 