This year of 2018 has been a year of big changes. I always talk about 2016 as a really important year—the year I got married, and moved abroad to England.

But even though this year hasn’t seen major life events like that, I do feel like it’s been a year of huge change.

This year, 2018, has seen my life shift drastically. Half-way through this year, I started a new job that gave me a whole new world: full-time guaranteed hours, decent enough pay to afford life, paid holiday and sick leave, and a real “in” in the travel industry. There’s a lot of people out there who haven’t had to juggle part-time jobs, who walked into a full-time job (after college or otherwise) and never had to worry about making ends meet, who never would get anxiety opening emails of schedules wondering, “will I make enough money this month?” “Will I get enough hours to afford life this month?” Good for them and I don’t mean to blame those who had those experiences—but they’re lucky. Not everyone has that situation, and I sure as hell didn’t.

I finally have that coveted position now. That real, adult job, where I can afford to pay my rent, travel here and there, and even go out to eat once in a while. I feel like after so many years (nearly 4 since I finished university), I’ve finally made it.

At the beginning of 2018, I was really struggling. Finding a full-time job as a foreigner in the UK is extremely difficult. I was getting rejected from jobs I really wanted (even jobs I had already done!) for reasons I couldn’t change. It was demoralizing and humiliating. Because of that, I was working jobs I hated, one of which meant I had panic attacks before I went to work every day for months. I was constantly and consistently stressed about money, earning enough money to live (afford rent, pay bills, buy food), and not being able to make any travel plans since I couldn’t afford it. And I didn’t know if I ever would be able to afford those trips.

As soon as I had the money, I would book a trip to get away from it all. Which is why I ended up with nearly back-to-back trips to Belgium, and another to the Baltics within 3 weeks of each other! But I had to get out of this life where I felt trapped into jobs I hated and with no freedom or money to travel like my heart wanted me to.

I quit the job that gave me panic attacks, and then got two new jobs. So I juggled 3 jobs at once, and quickly learned that that sucked even more than juggling 2 jobs. There were some good things about this: I got to work with some of the best people imaginable at those jobs, and made wonderful friends. I had so much fun with them! But I spent a few months doing those 3 jobs and (surprise) stressing over money and schedules. Even though I had 3 jobs, somehow I was making barely any money, since I had to try to give my availability to all the jobs at different times, not necessarily guaranteeing the same shifts every week, and often ended up with no shifts. When I did get the shifts, I took them, meaning I did 6-day weeks as standard, since I couldn’t count on the money coming in the next week or month.

Yeah, that sucked. And it also meant I (surprise) had less time off to travel and explore.

I also struggled almost daily with my life as a foreigner living in the UK. I faced nearly daily microaggressions that constantly made me feel different, and out of place here. Racist customers aggravated me and the pressure of it all continued to build up. At times, I still feel this way—when someone makes an offhand, offensive comment, or takes a joke too far. But getting out of my face-to-face customer service jobs meant I didn’t have people coming up and asking me, “what are you doing here?” with a sneer, or shouting at me about how much I pay in tax in the UK. The things that were harder to accept then, have been easier to accept now.

That was the first 6 months of the year. Finishing up 2018, things couldn’t be more different.

I have a stable paycheck that will be deposited into my bank account every month. I have set hours that I will be guaranteed every week. I have a job that I don’t hate (although no job is ever perfect) in the industry I’m most passionate about. And I have been able to travel! I spent nearly 3 weeks in the Caucasus this summer, did long weekend trips to Scotland, Iceland, and Poland, and managed a few weekend trips (to the Lake District, London, the Peak District, and Nottingham to name a few) here and there.

People tell me all the time that my life abroad is amazing, and that I’m “living the dream.” I’ve been honest about that—it’s not always amazing. There are a lot of things that suck about living in England. There are a lot of things that are hard about living abroad. I don’t mean to write this post now to brag about my job or my life. But I wanted to write this post because I’ve been honest about the bad times—and I want to be honest about the changes and about the better times they’ve brought.

Looking forward to 2019, I have big travel plans: Greece and Malta are already booked! I was offered my first trip with work abroad—to Canada!!! I’ll have enough holiday days that I should be able to take two weeks off in the summer to head to the Balkans. I’m planning to squeeze in a few days in Scotland late in the spring too. Hopefully I’ll have worked enough weekend lieu days to take a week off when my parents come visit (date still undecided, but sometime in summer!). I’ll need to renew my visa, which will cost roughly £2500, and go through the stress and trauma of it all. I’m not looking forward to that, but besides the money and time without my passport, it should be alright.

In 2018, I’ve also made a dedicated effort to improve and expand my blog. I’ve begun monetizing my blog—I’ve joined affiliate programs, and have even earned my first ever money as a blogger! I’ve expanded my social media reach, and tried my best to implement good social media strategies into my everyday blog routine, and day-to-day life. And more than the numbers or the money—I have had several friends share my blog post with their friends, co-workers, relatives, and networks. And that has meant the most to me out of anything.

What will 2019 bring for the blog? Hopefully more money! As I continue to grow my social media reach, gain more traffic, and expand my networks, I hope to monetize further. I really want to start writing guest posts, and get my name out there. I’d love to be able to earn a small, stable, monthly bit of side money from this. I want to try to expand my reach, and get my blog read by people who will benefit from it. I’ll need your help for all that—but I know we’re all up to the challenge.

I feel like 2018 was the real game changer. This year has given me the perseverance and stability to pursue my passions and my dreams. No, I can’t just jet off for a long weekend without counting my holiday days. No, I won’t be traveling quite as spontaneously as I was before. Yes, I do have to work every other weekend, and yes, it does suck. But there are so many positives in my life I almost feel like I can’t keep count of them.

I finally feel like I’ve settled in. Nearly two years after I first moved abroad, I finally feel settled.

It’s a nice feeling. I go to work every day. I come home and I can work on stuff for my blog—whether that’s writing new blog posts, editing photos, or keeping up to date with social media. I see my friends here and there. I go to the gym and exercise and feel the benefits both physically and mentally. When I can, I travel and get to explore new and exciting places. Every once in a while, I even treat myself and go out to eat.

This has been a big year of change. Some of the biggest changes. I have a feeling I know what 2019 will bring—but whatever does come, I’ll be ready to meet it head on.

Thank you to every single person who has supported me. Thank you to every single person who has believed in me. Thank you to every single person who reads my blog posts, who follows me on social media, who throws out a like or a comment or a share, who will book something through my affiliate links. Thank you to everyone who helped shine a light in the darkness.

Thank you to each and every one of you for taking the time to read this. 2019 is going to be a whole different kind of year. Bring it on.

 

Thank you to everyone who has been with me on this wild ride this year!

You might like my other posts on living abroad:

What I Wish I Knew Before I Moved Abroad

What I’ve Learned About British Culture After Two Years Living In England

5 Years Since Nottingham: A Reflection On Study Abroad

The Stuff No One Talks About When You Go Abroad: Birth Control, Student Loans, And More

15 Harsh Truths About Living In England