2010 was a year to remember.
Tears were shed just as often as smiles evolved from frowns.
Countless lives were lost in the Haiti earthquake, the anti-government protests in Thailand brutally took the lives of my family and the unemployment rate skyrocketed.
Every time I drove down Kennedy, I had to look dozens of modern-day beggars in the eye beneath busy street lights—rain or shine.
It broke my heart.
Even here at UT, we were struck by depression.
All of a sudden, there was a consistent loss of our fellow students. Every time I opened my school email, chills ran through my fingertips at the thought of another tragedy.
I still feel a pain in my stomach whenever I see “EN” shirts around campus.
However, amongst a year of pain and misfortune always comes a glimpse of hope flickering away in the distance.
In 2010, I fell in love.
In 2010, I got a job.
In 2010, my mother became my friend.
And on Jan. 1, 2011, I became an aunt again.
This proves that life is worth it. Through all the bull came genuine happiness.
And now, in 2011, we must start over.
This is a year for new challenges, new obstacles, new reasons to shed tears and new opportunities to live.
To live—such is the essence of being. Sounds simple, but it is something I found the hardest thing to do in 2010.
I overloaded my schedule with 21 credits, suffered family trauma, endured agonizing heartbreak, tested my patience as a Resident Assistant and took on as much as I physically could.
I was the complete opposite of the stereotypical college student. I worked too hard instead of breathing.
My friends called me crazy, but I referred to myself as “ambitious.”
I thought that if I overloaded my schedule with responsibilities and obligations, then I wouldn’t have time to deal with the more stressful life situations.
But even though I pushed myself to new limits, I lived. I experienced more than I thought was possible.
I believe that 2011 will provide humanity with new reasons to fight. For instance, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ceased plaguing the personal lives of our modern heroes in 2010.
A solar-powered plane took flight in July and the H1N1 influenza pandemic returned to typical seasonal patterns in August.
I no longer had to keep my guard up with random coughing strangers or duck for cover after every sneeze.
But what is the next challenge?
Will 2012 really be the end of the world?
Will Palin be our next president of the United States?
And if she is, does that foreshadow the actual end of the world?
All sarcasm behind, I’m excited.
The best and the worst of 2010 were like the ending to a good love story. The audience is left with tear stained cheeks and the desire for a happy ending. But, in the end, there are memories of happiness that make the reality of pain all worth it.
And now that it’s 2011, I’m ready for more. I’ll keep my fingers crossed in hope.
Narisa Impraset can be reached at nimprasert@spartans.ut.edu.