2025 Yearly Reflection

Another year over and another yearly reflection to write. As I do every year, I’ve been looking at past reflections and pictures that I’ve taken throughout the year in an attempt to make sense out of what I’ve done but this year feels a little different. You see, I’m writing this from a point of rest which I kinda feel like I haven’t had for the past six years. I know it’s odd for me of all people to say that because almost everyone I meet says I’m one of the most chill people they have come across but for the past six years (and even beyond that if I’m being honest) I have had plans in place. Now they aren’t always rigid plans but I had places to be at certain times and things I wanted done at certain points. Personal goals, professional goals, life goals, all thought about and put on a timeline to where I would want to be at a certain point in my life. I’ve had moments of lull and periods of not much during these past few years but there was always some other goal just around the corner to make it to. And now as I write this I feel like that’s not quite the case. For the first time in a long time I kind of have ideas but I’m still working it all out. No defined next point, no clear vision of where I’m going to be six months from now. I’m just drifting down the river a little and it’s kinda scary but also kinda nice. But enough about the present or the future for now. We can come back to that later. I’m supposed to be talking about the past.

I started the year off still in Valencia still teaching at the vocational training school and still poor. Although, in March I did get to go to the wrestling (a televised WWE Smackdown event nonetheless - March 14, 2025 on Netflix if you want to check it out) in Barcelona which was so unbelievably cool and definitely something I would jump at the chance to do again. Seeing all the people I watch on tv weekly and being in that crowd where the energy was off the charts. Like the wrestlers were making comments about how electric it was all night and the chanting was nonstop. Even if you’re not a wrestling fan I think everyone should try going to a show at least once. 10/10 experience and well worth the money. Also in March, Fallas was back on and jumping. It was a bit rainy and miserable for some of it but I had friends (shout out Dani, Paul and Rachel) come through which made the event so much better. Sharing an experience like that with people is always such a good time and seeing the event through other people’s eyes makes you appreciate it just that little bit more.

Also, shoutout to Rachel for getting me out of the house to do stuff. We did several little visits (saw the Semana Santa procession which is always a little disconcerting) and took a day trip out to Sagunto which was honestly probably what I needed at that point. It’s always nice to have friends around where you can be there for each other and kinda give each other the necessary vibes to carry on so again, thank you. We also went up to Madrid together and caught up with our other friend Dan which was super fun. Just a couple of days of eating and drinking and unwinding. Plus, I got to see The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch which is one of if not my all time favourite painting. Just a little side note, when I was in school I did an art history class and that painting was in the text book. I remember looking at it and thinking “that’s so cool but I’ll only ever see it in text books or on the internet” and so actually seeing it in real life was so wildly absurd to me it made me reflect on the steps I had taken in my life to get to that point. Like, little me couldn’t fathom that possibility and then I was there in front of it like, it was just such a cool moment for me.

After that I went to Ireland (major shoutout to Paul and Kendell) for a bunch of tourist stuff and hanging out. I saw the Giant’s Causeway, Cliffs of Moher, Paul’s family and Obama Plaza (definitely a highlight). It was such a lovely trip because I got to see a bunch of these things I thought I would never see and just vibe out with people that I know care for me. Plus Paul and I had some quality roadtrip time while travelling to his family home and out the cliffs and all that. I was a proper passenger princess the entire time.

The end of June marked the end of my European journey as Rachel and I went to Madrid for the final time together to hang out for a couple of days before flying back to our respective countries. We went to the oldest restaurant in the world (which is where Hemingway used to eat!) and had the roasted suckling pig (also what Hemingway used to eat!) which was really nice and such a great point to end the whole trip on. Rachel and I hit the airport and said our goodbyes (she flew out a day later) and then it was off to China for a day long stopover before making my way back to good, old, Aotearoa, New Zealand. By the way, the stop over in China was so fine, like, no issues and no reason to be worried despite what my friends would have you believe.

And just like that, I was back home. Back to where I grew up, seeing everything both familiar and also different than I remembered. Seeing my family again after so long away and fitting back into those established relationships. Having grown during my time away but also finding the comfort in letting some things settle to how they used to be. I reconnected with friends who had completely different lives than the ones that I left all those years ago. I did relief teaching for the school that I went to as a student where some of the same teachers still teach and I could catch up and show how much of an impact they made. I came back to the family home to help with what I can and to reset for a bit. Figure out what’s next. Exist in the safe space that helped make me who I am.

So now we’re here at the end of the year. I usually try to put a theme on the year or a message or a lesson or something but the year was weird because it was kind of in two parts. The first half of the year was just a continuation of the last year. Same problems, similar successes, ticked off lots of bucket list kind of events but still had a lot of trouble existing in a space that didn’t seem like it wanted me (like European bureaucracy sucks). Whereas, the second half of this year was all about resetting. For the past six months I’ve just kind of been breathing. Taking moments, not worrying about spending money on silly things, not really focused on if I’m wasting time or not. I think it comes down to this, in Spain I had trouble existing and in New Zealand existing is no trouble. After being out in the world for just over six years I can honestly say there is nowhere that I would rather be. New Zealand is home and while we do have some issues we are in a place where we are seen as people and where even if the government or the policies sometimes aren’t super for the people as I would like them to be, the people are always there for each other.

Next year (or this current year as I’m writing this) I’m aiming to get my feet underneath me. Like I said earlier, I kind of have ideas that I’m formulating but nothing concrete as of yet so the goal at the moment is to just get to a point where I’m moving forward again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying my time just floating down the river but maybe paddling a little and adding a bit of direction wouldn’t go amiss either.

As always, have a Happy New Year and look out for each other.

Nga Mihi,
Rex