Sunday, January 1, 2012

Gratitude for 2011, Hope for 2012 (Thank you, Thank you, Thank YOU!)

Whoa 2012 started out with some pretty great news for me. At approximately 10 minutes past midnight, I checked my gmail inbox to see that I had been accepted as a 2012 fellow at the New Leaders Council Institute for its San Francisco program. This is probably been the first really good news I've had in two years. No joke, the last two years have been so rough for me. It's nice to see some hard work pay off, and I am just so grateful.

Hopefully 2012 will bring less feelings like this

A little over two years I came to the Bay Area with high hopes, big dreams, stars in my eyes and a new love in my heart. Everything came crashing down about a year later...if you want details, you can check older postings here, here and here (wow that's a lot).

Basically I left/got illegally pushed out of a pretty horrible job, spent a year unemployed amidst the worst time in the economic downturn, and had my dreams of going to law school (or any grad school for that matter) basically go kaput. I moved to the Bay Area in the Summer of 2009. 2010 was easily one of the worst and most challenging years of my life. 2011 was a bootstraps year, I was so ready for change, so frustrated and just wanting for things to improve. At this time last year I was unemployed,  and inspired yet terrified at an uncertain future. The future is still uncertain (and perhaps it always is), but things HAVE gotten better. I am tired from all the effort this year took, and so much went on, I ran around so much, DID so much, met so many amazing people and had such a great array of experiences that it's actually overwhelming for me to even reflect on all of this.

Preach it Abe!

I love that this blog is a window into my journey in the past year, it chronicled my ups, downs and good times. It also followed the beautiful souls I was able to meet, connect with and befriend.

So here I am, blogging again from Lake Tahoe (again? 2011 was a good year). I'm sitting in front of a roaring fire that's been on almost non-stop for a few days. When I got the news about the NLC decision, I actually teared up. I think some of it was tears of relief, relief at the possibility of things getting better, of my dreams potentially coming true one day.

Seriously Lake Tahoe, I love you

But I also teared up because I couldn't help but reflect on the kindness, the mentorship and support of so many good friends, both old and new, who were really there for me.

So this is a thanks, thanks to the East Coast friends who picked up my calls and spoke to me for hours, calming me, soothing my anxieties and telling me over and over again that they believed in me. Thank you to friends who opened their homes to me when I attended conferences, friends who let me sleep on their absent siblings' cloud-like dream beds, friends who took time out of their work break with me to grab a pizza in NYC and listen to me and console me during the times that I felt less than stellar (less than stellar being a serious understatement).

Thank you to the friends that spent hours almost every day to give me free grammar lessons that helped me to become a better, more confident blogger and writer. Thank you to the strangers, and later new friends who took out time during their day to tell me their stories so that I could share them with the world.

Thank you to the friends who never let me pay for meals because I was broke. Who wined and dined me generously in their homes over heartfelt conversation. Thank you to friends for the hugs and for just hanging out with me as we built memories that we will always hold dear.


Thank you to my stupendous mentors, who sent me job listings, who invited me to networking events and agreed to always be my references =)

Thank you to the artists, the cool, inspiration people who wrote novels, shared poetry (including reading mine), took photos, created spectacular music, taught me how to use twitter properly (#hashtag what!) and made the most beautiful latte art I have ever seen as we shared coffee and ideas while talking about beauty, the world, and our goals.

Thank you to a particular photographer/mentor who has been an amazing new friend, teacher and inspiration for me to shoot for the stars (or just shoot in general) and challenge barriers I have set up for myself. I will travel the world, just like you one day and I can't wait to share my photos and journeys with you and everyone else!

Thank you to the organizations that believed in me, took me in and paid me ;-) to do the work I love, I seriously have the best co-workers (aka friends) ever!

don't you wish your colleagues were fun like mine?
Thank you to the community leaders and activists who welcomed me with open arms and taught me so much about strength, community and inspiration to improve our world.

Thank you to my new sisters, who helped me express myself on stage and find my voice to help tell my stories, my poems, my monologues for the world to hear.
Yonis 4ever! Photo courtesy of
 Saurabh, Nasir, Mike, Inder, Shobana, Mahesh and Kiran

Thank you to Michael and Evachan, who held me while I cried, listened to me when I bitched and always gave me a place to stay and eat. Even continents apart, I know my love for you both and the family you have provided me will never fade.

I feel like crying, this is making me emotional. But good tears, happy tears.

Thank you to my new best friend, Nwe, it was love at first sight when we met, and I am so grateful to have you and your beautiful sons in my life. Technically I made 4 new best friends this year! I love being a Khalamoni =).

The Alvarado-Hussain-Oo Clan

To to my little sister who has been there since she was born (though at the time it wasn't by choice muahaha), I seriously lucked out...the Hussain gene pool could not have produced a more awesome best friend for me. Thanks for listening even when I sounded crazy and repeated myself over and over again.

I present to you, the best and brightest of the Hussain gene pool
And thanks, last but not least to Roberto, who has loved me through everything. Who picked me up when I was down (literally picked up), who made me laugh so I couldn't physically cry anymore, I am blessed to have you as my 24/7 best friend. Sometimes you need someone to believe in you with all their heart when you don't have the energy to do so and I am grateful, grateful, grateful for that.

Great, this sounds like an album inset...I'd like to thank my producers, Lil Rock Z and my fans 4 lyfe....just kidding (I have no idea who Lil Rock Z is, I just made that up).

zomg Lil Rock Z..is that you?
I am excited for 2012, I know things will be amazing, I am gearing up for a trip to Vietnam from late February to early March, my first time ever visiting Southeast Asia to help build homes with Habitat for Humanity's Global Village project (oh and hey if you want to make a donation just click on the link on the top right of this page, or just contact me! 2012 is a year to develop fundraising skills you know ;-P), as well as an upcoming trip to Washington DC for the National Asian Pacific Women's Political Forum (NAPAWF) national conference to connect and build relationships with some fierce and powerful women. I also know that 2012 will have it's difficult parts, like any year. I have a dear friend who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, so there are still sobering realities to face. But may I face them with love and most importantly friendship =).

Happy 2012 to you all!

Wishing you all lots of squishy hugs in the New Year

4 comments:

  1. Love the blog. You and Roberto's pictures
    are too funny. I love it, hahaha.

    E.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOL thanks, I love your comments, they capture our moments perfectly =P

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nadia, I Love your blog...love seeing your FB posts and love working with you @ Chaa! You are endearing, shining bright, inspiring and spark happiness where-ever you are and where-ever you go! Happy New Year! Yes...2012 is going to be great!
    xoxo
    Roxanne :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks so much Roxanne! You are such a sweetheart, I always smile knowing you'll be right there to greet me!You are all those wonderful things as well, and I'm so happy to be part of your CHAA family =)Happy New Years to you too!

    ReplyDelete

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