Being a Newbie Sucks

Hi everyone, and Happy New Year to all!

Last year I started reading and writing online and enjoyed it. I didn't think that I would like it so much. At first it was mainly reading and then writing. I must say it still feels scary whenever I go online. I am still learning how to navigate all the platforms, and hopefully in time I will get the hang of it.

Let me just tell you a little bit about myself.

I'm a grandmother to five beautiful grandchildren and a beautiful daughter. Unfortunately, my son and his eldest daughter died in a horrible car accident in 2021. I won't go into that right now. I am also a student that has one outstanding subject that needs to be finished this year, God willing. I love learning new things, and so far, writing online has been the most challenging for me.

It's not like I've never written anything; in fact, it was recommended to me at a very young age by a social worker. She just told me to write down my thoughts, fears, and dreams. After a few sessions, she recommended reading a lot but also practicing doing it out loud, seeing that I had a stuttering problem. That is also one of the main reasons why I hardly participated in school essays. I used to dread talking in front of people.

In fact, I even froze when I had to sing, and that was something I loved doing, and my grandmother loved listening to me sing. I used to hate it when anyone asked me to speak or sing, but according to my grandmother, I had a beautiful voice.

Standing in front of anyone used to freak me out. I became much better after a few years of reading out loud and only did it when my family members weren't around, and I practiced mostly English, which wasn't my home language at all, but I succeeded in excelling in that language.

My primary and senior years at school were horrible due to that problem, and I was bullied a lot and could never fit in with the masses. School was a horrible experience for me, and the bullying just never stopped.

I started working at the age of seventeen and was always on the lookout for new opportunities to learn and grow. This is one of them. My daughter was actually the one who introduced me to this world of yours, and I must say I feel positive about it and hope to get better at doing it. Although this has been very challenging at times, I will try to do it on a regular basis so that I can improve.

My hobbies are reading, writing, hiking, and taking long walks at the beach and in nature. I love spending time with my family, and I know they might not even believe that because I hardly express my emotions.

What stands out for me in 2024 is that I spent a month in a very healing place. I went horseback riding for the first time. I stayed in a little town behind a mountain with beautiful views right around, which is also next to the longest zip line in the world now. I visited a few farms in surrounding areas, one of which was where the turbines is and got to meet some interesting people.

If I had to settle down, that would be the perfect place to grow old. The water streaming from the mountain tastes better than the bottled water and is free for the residents. I remember my first few days after arriving there, and the scenery is magnificent. For those of you that have watched Skull Island, before the ship approached the island there was a section where they only saw fog in front of them and nothing else, but after that it was just pure beauty. That was an exceptional few to what was about to unfold. Now that is what this beautiful town looked like on a foggy day. This is definitely the place for lots of adventures, and I'm looking forward to going back there.

I only made two New Year's resolutions: one is to have a closer relationship with God, and the other is to write properly and improve my speech once again. My speech is no longer as good as it was due to some traumatic events but I know I can and will get it back.

Apart from my speech, I've been faced with some other challenges. First it was the news of my dad's cancer last year, and I was unable to be there for him. Thankfully, he has been improving a lot in the last few months. Then I started having panic attacks, plus my laptop had some issues.

I came back to my home town and then my laptop was hacked and my phone gave in. Luckily, I still have my little phone to stay in contact with everyone; however, some apps can't be downloaded because they're not compatible. I sometimes make use of the computer lab at campus, which is a plus for me, and I can stay online and engage. My laptop works only with electricity and has become very slow, but its okay. Thankfully I have options There's so many people who don't even have that, so I'm still grateful for that.

I'm an introvert but also have many other skills that I've acquired over the years. My year started on a very positive note, and I know it will continue. Yes, there will always be challenges that will try and throw me, of course, but somehow it all works out in the end.

I'm hoping to finish this year on a more positive note and strengthen my relationship with my family along the way. For now, I am happy that I've taken this trip, and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone. Have a great day.