{"id":4471,"date":"2015-12-22T01:12:48","date_gmt":"2015-12-21T23:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/?p=4471"},"modified":"2016-02-23T16:53:12","modified_gmt":"2016-02-23T14:53:12","slug":"2015-in-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/2015\/12\/2015-in-review\/","title":{"rendered":"2015 in review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s <em>that<\/em> time of the year &#8211; time to remember. Same as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/2015\/01\/2014-in-review\/\" title=\"2014 in review\">last year<\/a>, I\u2032ll use a questionnaire.<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1. What one event, big or small, are you going to tell your grandchildren about?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I\u2032ll probably tell it to someone else\u2032s grandchildren, but this year has been rich in stories. The main question I wanted to answer to myself throughout the year was, can I live as a writer? Can I challenge myself in such a way that I return with interesting stories to tell, but without losing my spirits? Something I\u2032ll never forget from this year is making friends with a Thai monk in Chiang Mai. Looking at his precious gifts makes me motivated to move on. All he could give me were religious objects, and he was not allowed to hand them to me directly. I realized that I myself had nothing to give.<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">2.<\/span>If you had to describe your 2015 in 3 words, what would they be?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Lots of writing<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">3.<\/span>What new things did you discover about yourself?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When I almost give up, life shows me it was worth waiting a little more. The first such experience was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/tag\/cyprus-trip\/\" title=\"\">trip to Cyprus<\/a> in January. It was unexpectedly cold, I felt weak and ill-equipped for challenging situations. And yet, with the help of my experienced hitch-hiker friend, I could see that my survival skills were improving with each day. All the cold, lack of sleep and fatigue were worth the beautiful moments we enjoyed &#8211; our first vegan meal with our first super-generous host, watching flamingos in the company of our new friend and his dog, sharing tea and stories, finding ourselves amid an improvised house party, crossing the buffer zone multiple times and laughing away in Nicosia, and going on a road trip with this song in the background (our CS host managed to remember and find it for me months later!).<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\">\n\t<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0;margin-bottom: 15px;\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"560\" height=\"430\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/IfnXiJEr2Lc?modestbranding=1&rel=0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">4.<\/span>What single achievement are you most proud of?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/cities\/2015\/aug\/11\/insiders-cultural-guide-kaunas-lithuania-fashion-police\" target=\"_blank\">Got published in <em>The Guardian<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">5.<\/span>What was the best news you received?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I received an IJP fellowship to do an internship at <em>Der Spiegel<\/em> in Hamburg. It had a hugely profound influence on me as I can now formulate clearly to myself how I want and do not want to work. It was also my first experience with TV production &#8211; I\u2032d love to experience more of it. I returned from Germany with ideas for two different start-ups &#8211; we\u2032ll see what happens.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">6.<\/span>What was your favourite place that you visited in 2014?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Probably <a href=\"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/2015\/05\/birds-of-ayutthaya\/\" title=\"Birds of Ayutthaya\">Ayutthaya<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">7.<\/span>Which of your personal qualities turned out to be the most helpful this year?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As my friend <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rossperlin.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ross<\/a> formulated it for me &#8211; as wonderfully as he always does, &#8211; openness to experience.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">8.<\/span>Who was your number one go-to person that you could always rely on?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is difficult to name only one, but this year, let\u2032s appreciate one person whose patience and support really helped me a lot &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/repecka.net\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\">my brother<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">9.<\/span>Which new skills did you learn?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Drying stuff in humid climate. Refraining from posting my opinion on Facebook. Dealing with diplomats. Frustration management while teaching.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">10.<\/span>What, or who, are you most thankful for?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>People who helped me in Hamburg &#8211; Nicole, Helene Z., Jens, Essam and others.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">11.<\/span>If someone wrote a book about your life in 2015, what kind of genre would it be? A comedy, love story, drama, film noir or something else?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-4476\" src=\"http:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/WP_20150922_18_23_07.jpg\" alt=\"Kelio iliuzija\" width=\"340\" height=\"481\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/WP_20150922_18_23_07.jpg 495w, https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/WP_20150922_18_23_07-212x300.jpg 212w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 340px) 100vw, 340px\" \/>An adventure novel<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">12.<\/span>What was the most important lesson you learnt in 2014?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Everything is a matter of priority<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">13.<\/span>Which mental block(s) did you overcome?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Contacting people I really look up to<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">14.<\/span>What 5 people did you most enjoy spending time with?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Won\u2019t list them publicly<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">15.<\/span>What was your biggest break-through moment career-wise?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Getting published in well-known magazines and websites, first and foremost the <a href=\"http:\/\/newint.org\/features\/2015\/05\/01\/lithuania-militarization\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>New Internationalist<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">16.<\/span>How did your relationship to your family evolve?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They still can\u2032t understand why anyone would want to be a freelancer<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">17.<\/span>What book or movie affected your life in a profound way?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"byline\" class=\"a-section a-spacing-micro bylineHidden feature\">I hardly watched any movies this year and, unfortunately, read very few books.<span class=\"author notFaded\" data-width=\"\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">18.<\/span>What was your favourite compliment that you received this year?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Compliments on my work<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">19.<\/span>What little things did you most enjoy during your day-to-day life?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Drawing comics, long walks<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">20.<\/span>What cool things did you create this year?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/1009700859061317\/\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook group<\/a> to help refugees in Lithuania, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.equaltimes.org\/thailand-nimble-fingers-precarious#.VXb8RMajRpl\" target=\"_blank\">this article<\/a> about labor issues<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">21.<\/span>What was your most common mental state this year (e.g. excited, curious, stressed)?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Curious<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">22.<\/span>Was there anything you did for the very first time in your life this year?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Guiding a group in a foreign country, speaking on the radio live from its headquarters, observing TV production processes, saw the conditions in which people with mental disabilities live<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">23.<\/span>What was your favourite moment spent with your friends?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It would be unfair to name one<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">24.<\/span>What major goal did you lay the foundations for?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Making a living from my writing<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">25.<\/span>Which worries turned out to be completely unnecessary?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That I\u2032ll get food-poisoning in Thailand<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">26.<\/span>What experience would you love to do all over again?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Road-tripping, reporting together with excellent photographers (see the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.delfi.lt\/lithuania\/society\/creativity-and-boredom-in-a-lithuanian-town-coping-with-globalisation.d?id=69873330\" target=\"_blank\">latest report<\/a> I did with photographer Dalia Mikonyt\u0117), monk chat in Chiang Mai, telling stories to an interested audience&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">27.<\/span>What was the best gift you received?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Friend\u2032s patience with my moods and sometimes radical ideas<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">28.<\/span>How did your overall outlook on life evolve?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Positively \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">29.<\/span>What was the biggest problem you solved?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Too much multitasking<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">30.<\/span>What was the funniest moment of your year, one that still makes it hard not to burst out laughing when you think about it?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A &#8216;Eurovision&#8217; of funny stories with colleagues from all over Europe in East Thailand<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">31.<\/span>What purchase turned out to be the best decision ever?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hmm, the best things came for free, but perhaps a waterproof camera?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">32.<\/span>What one thing would you do differently and why?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I wouldn\u2032t take up teaching just for the sake of it<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">33.<\/span>What do you deserve a pat on the back for?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Practicing almost every language<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">34.<\/span>What activities made you lose track of time?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Reading Twitter (*blush*)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">35.<\/span>What did you think about more than anything else?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>How to &#8216;make it&#8217; in Germany<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">36.<\/span>What topics did you most enjoy learning about?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Diversity and expat life in a <a href=\"http:\/\/en.delfi.lt\/lithuania\/society\/creativity-and-boredom-in-a-lithuanian-town-coping-with-globalisation.d?id=69873330\" target=\"_blank\">small town<\/a> where I have some roots<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">37.<\/span>What new habits did you cultivate?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Taking paper notes<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">38.<\/span>What advice would you give your early-2015 self if you could?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Concentrate<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">39.<\/span>Did any parts of your self or your life do a complete 180 this year?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I decided to stop trying to &#8216;beautify&#8217; myself, and I think nobody noticed<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"numb\">40.<\/span>What or who had the biggest positive impact on your life this year?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Examples of brave people doing great things<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s that time of the year &#8211; time to remember. Same as , I\u2032ll use a questionnaire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[562],"tags":[908],"class_list":["post-4471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-misc","tag-year-in-review","no-post-thumbnail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4471"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4478,"href":"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4471\/revisions\/4478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daivarepeckaite.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}