18

So after 8 months of functioning as an adult, I am officially an adult! 17 was a crazy year. When I turned 17 in May 2019, I expected to stay in Lac La Biche for another year at least. My biggest plans were finishing high school and counselling at Bible camp.

Then camp ended, my employment plans fell through (plan A, plan B, and plan C...), and I wound up looking for full-time work somewhere else. An advertisement for a job in Iqaluit, Nunavut caught my eye, I applied, and less than a month later I walked into the Iqaluit Aquatic Centre. I gained so much work experience, became a certified pool operator, taught lots of classes, trained staff, had a lot of fun, got very stressed, and finally quit to save my mental health when some new complications showed up. 

I started looking for new work to carry me until summer, and then COVID-19 hit and those plans got sidetracked. Instead, I spent my last few months of 17 exploring the land and the bay here, writing music, embroidering things, and working on learning biblical Hebrew. And thinking about my plan for 18.

I've learned over this year that plans are fluid and I should never expect things to go as hoped, but that it's better if they don't, because I don't have the capacity to hope for anything as good as what is laid out for me. I've learned to preface my plans with "God willing", and mean it. In May 2019 I could not have imagined all of the incredible things I've done and learned, and I suspect that when I turn 19 I'll be looking back at 18 and realizing the same thing. 

I probably should have titled this blog "Aliya learns again and again that her plans are not guaranteed", because that seems to be the running theme.

So happy birthday to me! And here's to 18- finally I can sign my own legal papers. It's been a pain emailing papers to my parents across the country for them to sign them for me, and I'm through with that now.

-Aliya