I think I already overshared about 2023 on a previous text, but let’s have a overview of the year here as well.
Career
This year I left my first international job, at WEX, which was not an easy decision, since it is a great company, where I had all the support, but I didn’t want to work solely with UiPath anymore and more opportunities for Python freelancing arose – which ends up the flexibility was also a best fit for my personal life at the moment.
The freelancing world came with big challenges, for the first time, I managed to build a Python automation framework from scratch without a senior supervisor. This was incredibly enriching.
Also, 2023 makes five years that I’ve been officially on the IT job market! By the second half of 2019, I got a job as a trainee for Deloitte, where they sent me to the automations area and I’ve been in the field ever since.
Continuous Learning
- Urban Planning Bachelor’s degree:
There is only the Macro and Meso Regional Planning Workshop, the Metropolitan Planning and Governance Workshop, and the Undergraduate Thesis left to complete for my diploma. However, due to challenging personal life changes this year, I haven’t made progress on these. The only task I managed to complete was delivering my research.
It focused on the Extraction of built area in satellite image time series Landsat of the city of Santarém – PA – 2012 -2002. The outcome wasn’t as good as I expected, since I decided to explore not with QGIS as we learned in class, but with javascript on google earth platform. Despite this, I learned a lot.
I also managed to attend two conferences with the research team, SBSR (Brazilian Symposium on Remote Sensing) and ENANPUR (The National Meetings of the National Postgraduate and Research in Urban and Regional Planning) – traveling is great, but doing so with academic purpose and cool people is even more fun.
- Yoga Teacher Training 500hours:
I’m still surfing Yogic Studies world, 50% on my way to complete the Yogic Studies Advanced Certificate Program (YSACP).
My favorite module this year was the one about The Amṛtasiddhi, Haṭha Yoga’s First Text with professor James Mallinson, rich on medieval alchemy and the basis of yoga powerful bandhas.
Also the one about Women and Gender in Hindu Tantra with professor Sravana Borkataky-Varma from Harvard Divinity School opened my mind to a whole new world about transgenders and religion in India.
Life
I’ve shared this before, but in a nutshell, I became “unpartnered.” How do we navigate discussions about modern couples who cohabit after 30, without the traditional marriage ceremony, yet face a complex web of shared responsibilities, from bill payments to dividing house plants and kitchenware upon separation?
In the midst of this, I relocated to a new neighborhood, my psychologist went on maternity leave, I renovated my new apartment, a tragic death occurred in my family, also a cancer removal on another family member and another loved one came close to death but is now in a rehabilitation clinic. On top of this, after nearly a decade of living independently, I moved to a location right next to my blood relatives.
To say 2023 has been a challenging year would be an understatement.
On the other hand, living close to my family again has been an enlightening experience. It has offered me a deeper understanding of my roots and myself. While it presents its own set of challenges, I find great joy in spending time with my elderly relatives. My regular visits to my nearly 90-year-old grandmother, filled with card games and her life stories, have been particularly rewarding.
About my new neighborhood, it offers a stark contrast to downtown São Paulo. The sense of safety is palpable, allowing me to stroll at night with my phone in hand, a luxury I could not afford before. Yet, I find myself yearning for the familiar hipster vibes, the freedom of cycling at Minhocão, and the weekend breakfasts at TAKKO coffee shop, surrounded by fellow tattooed people.
Nowadays, my daily view is filled with wealthy individuals in gym clothes. The coffee shops, once my go-to spots for a change of scenery while working, are now mostly frequented by retired flâneurs. So, I prefer to stay at home, which led me to overthink my setup, so I bought myself a standing desk—fancy.
On the flip side, I’m a mere 10-minute walk from the indoor climbing gym and a 20-minute stroll from São Paulo’s “Central Park,” Ibirapuera Park. This proximity has significantly boosted my climbing skills and provided me with much-needed nature time.
After the initial tumult of the first semester, I’ve been channeling my energy into establishing new routines, strengthening my social and familial ties, and seeking stability. As I look ahead, I’m optimistic that 2024 will be a year of fewer disruptions and more tranquility.
GYM
I lost 7 kilos total and gained 3 kilos of muscle mass this year! Climbing definitely helped, but I’m also consistently going to the gym and applied Huberman’s Lab 3-5 protocol, which I found gave me the most strength I have ever had so far.
- Squats: 40kg – 50kg
- Rowing: 30kg – 40kg
- Shoulder Press: 10kg
- Chest: 15kg
- Unilateral deadlift: 14kg
- Bulgarian split squat: 16kg
You know, people say after 40’s we lose 1% of muscle mass per year by default, so I have 7 years ahead to build more consistent muscles, or “a health savings”
In conclusion
2023 has been the most challenging year of my life, yet it was also a time of great energy and new opportunities. I had the chance to meet new people and acquire a wealth of knowledge.
My life now feels like it’s in a transitional phase, laying the groundwork for something new. This period of change is refreshing and filled with potential, despite the sense of loss and the numerous changes I’ve faced this year. Here’s to a fantastic 2024 for us all. See you around!