Reflections and Resolutions 2016 / 2017

Reflections on 2016

1. First of all: I am still here, I haven’t given up blogging although it’s been a while since I last posted on this blog, but life got in the way and I am not even apologizing for it 🙂
2. A lot happened in 2016, e.g. the Brexit referendum which effects me as an EU citizen in the UK directly and nobody knows what the situation will be like for someone like me once the country has actually left the EU. I am glad that unlike refugees, I could not just move to my home country but to other EU countries as well. In the end I might even decide myself I would be better off elsewhere – who knows? The referendum taught me a valuable lesson: never to take anything for granted and to embrace flexibility as the new safety. Sometimes a shake-up can even be beneficial and push you to make some overdue changes.
3. Having said that, I came to the conclusion that London is currently still my favourite place in the world. I am grateful because I have had the opportunity to meet interesting people here from the UK and almost every corner of the world with all kinds of different backgrounds, which has been very inspiring.
4. In 2016, a large part of my income sources came still from freelance translation work, but for me like for many other colleagues, the situation went from bad to worse. In the end I had extremely tight deadlines and working nights and weekends was no longer an exception but almost industry standard, which affected my life and health in a negative way.
5. I read A LOT in 2016 and the rise of populists and fake news was obvious. In addition, traditional media mainly focused on bad news, as usual, because this attracts mainstream readers and advertising. Last year you could get the impression there was hardly anything positive happening in the world. I was glad I found inspiring independent media, too, to put things into perspective – including blogs.

My resolutions for 2017

1. I enjoy blogging myself, and doing it regularly is one of my goals in 2017. I intend to publish an article every week on each of my blogs.
2. Another goal is to write a little bit every day and I am happy to say I am already doing it.
3. I  intend to finish self-publishing an out-of print novel that was translated by me in the past and I am on the case.
4. In addition, I am planning to write at least one short self-published book both in English and German at the same time.
5. Writing away from my home desk is good for me and I want to do this more often in 2017. Therefore I am now not just writing in cafes and pubs on a regulary basis but have joined the great Blog Club of London Bloggers Meetup, a get-together with other bloggers to write, share information and encourage each other. We meet at the premises of @WorkHubs, a coworking space in London very close to Euston tube and rail station and within walking distance of the Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras. @WorkHubs are offering various different options and you can even use their desks on a daily basis and they also seem to be a good option for people who are visiting London only temporarily.

I wish you good luck with everything that is on your own agenda in 2017!