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Yes, I know we’re a bit late with our year in review but here it finally is.
Lisa’s 2021
Honestly, I was having a really hard time remembering the year at all. It feels like 2021 didn’t really happen.
I’m going to be honest with you. 2021 was a shitshow and I am incredibly grateful and happy that it’s over. January started kind of ok, but that quickly changed. I experienced the loss of my first close relative, which wasn’t easy on my whole family and even now makes me tear up. Although I enjoyed having my aunts from Switzerland here the circumstances left limited room for joy. I remember walking home from my mom’s the day my Grandfather passed away and it was snowing outside, which I believe was his way of cheering us up. I love snow and if it were up to me, there would be a thick layer here all winter long. It’s one of the things I miss about Canada.
The next few months mainly consisted of attending online class again, worrying about how my classmates and I will be able to finish school and stressing myself out over it. It all turned out to be perfect in the end; everybody that was still attending school at this point graduated and we were even able to have a great graduation party. Afterwards, I decided to take some time off and enjoy the summer before finding and starting a new job. Summer also meant “no Corona” in Austria. Not literally, but almost all restrictions were lifted and travelling was possible again.
Before the post-graduation vacation was able to begin, Jenson and I had to figure out his visa situation. I won’t get into detail here as there is a whole post about this here. To keep it short: it was a shitshow and cost me every nerve I had left. I’m definitely not looking forward to the visa extension process that’s coming up. Send good vibes please, I’m in dire need of those!
Lisa’s Summertime Saga
Thankfully summertime included a few parties, meeting friends, travelling, going out and socializing. I was in desperate need of some good times. Although Jenson wasn’t here for quite some time, because he had to leave Austria (more info about that in the other blog post) I made the best of it. And honestly, a little time apart after spending so much time together was kind of nice. If you live with other people then I’m sure you can relate.
In July friends from school and I drove down to Croatia, where we met up with Jenson. It felt great to breathe in the salty air, swim in the sea, eat fish at the beach and not be able to understand the people around you. Thankfully the whole visa process came to an end and we were able to pick up his visa. Which meant freedom. We spent another week away from home at my scout group’s summer camp before returning back home. Every three years we have a big camp with all the different age groups and we were able to have that happen in 2021.
In August I started a new job and from there on the months all kind of melt into each other. The “summer euphoria” had passed and mundane everyday life began. At least that’s what it felt like for me. My sister left to work in Greece for two months and those months passed in no time. I use my Google photos to remind myself of everything that happened last year and honestly, I only have work-related pictures from September to December. I’m not a big photo taker in general, but this just tells me that really nothing has been going on.
With all the regulations social life began to be non-existent again, which was a bummer. I’m a very social person that likes to meet face to face rather than online. My mood and motivation are also dependent on the weather and although it was a very mild winter so far, I miss the smell of fresh flowers, walking around in a light jacket and especially having many hours of sunshine each day. Thankfully we’ve made it through the dark winter times which makes me very happy!
Last Trip of the Year
The last trip we took for the year was to a friend’s house in Graz, which I really enjoyed. Although I’ve been there before walking around the city with Jenson, sitting down in a small café while it’s pouring outside and reading a book felt different this time. I think it gave me hope that everything will turn out the way it is meant to be. We have been taking trips so seldom, it makes me appreciate and cherish them even more.
The year ended on a great note. I found a new job and quit my old one, which was very relieving to me. Now I’m starting to get more invested in the world of finance and freedom and expanding my knowledge in that area. Although 2021 was rough and tiring, I believe it has taught me many lessons and showed me opportunities to improve my future self. New Year’s Eve was also a lot of fun and gave me the confidence that 2022 can and will be better than 2021. It just has to be.
Seriously, it will be!
I’m interested to know how your 2021 was! Do you consider it a good year? What was the most memorable thing that happened to you? Please let me know in the comments below, I’d love to know!
Jenson’s 2021
Honestly, I kind of feel like Lisa covered the majority of the year in her section. She was surprisingly thorough. However there were a few things she didn’t hit on that I will get to in a second.
Ruined Plans
2021 was a rough year. Maybe not 2020 bad, but still fairly rough. We had so many different trips and adventures planned out that got cancelled. We wanted to go on our honeymoon (finally), had a Mexico trip planned and paid for, and I was supposed to go back to Canada. Not to mention we had been talking about going to the Netherlands, Northern Germany, Switzerland, and visiting Thailand for our anniversary. One of the paper lantern festivals landed right on the evening of our anniversary.
Yet none of that was able to occur. Mainly due to the pandemic and all the different rules each country had. Our Mexico flights got cancelled fairly early in the year so we were able to get our money back, but all the ruined plans put a huge damper on our moods.
Trips We Did Take
So moving to Austria was a huge event for me. After Lisa and I got married it didn’t make sense for me to be living in another country.`The biggest struggle was getting my visa. Austria is the only country I’ve been to that if you hit your allowed amount of days and your visa is still being processed you need to leave the country…….
So I went to Croatia where I spent 2-3 months travelling around and loving it. Croatia is amazing and I can’t wait to go back. Being able to travel around Croatia gave me hope again after 2020 all, but killed my soul. I made some lifelong friends in Split and had a great time visiting my good friend Jo. I felt alive again and was super excited for Lisa to come down. She brought some friends down with her which I had totally prepared for. Yet even with the preparations I made there were some major group travel and hostel etiquette issues that soured a bit of that experience.
Our second, and last, trip of the year was when Lisa and I took a weekend in Graz. A beautiful city that was so much nicer than I had expected. I don’t think any place looks overly nice when you just pass through on a train. It was really nice to be able to go. It was the third trip that Lisa and I have ever been able to go on alone. Which is shocking to me even as I write that. Damn pandemic.
Our Year in Tattoo
Despite the whole pandemic Lisa and I were able to make a good amount of progress on our tattoos. I got a traditional Croatian tattoo from Lobster tattoo in Split and my Austria tattoo from Fat Fox Tattoo in Vienna.
Lisa on the other hand got a few more than me. She got a matching tattoo with her sister and mother from Marda Tattoo in Vienna, a lovely little candle in a candlestick holder from Lobster Tattoo in Vienna, and got a stick and poke campfire from her friend in Vienna.
Overall this year has been surprisingly full (ish) of tattoos regardless of the pandemic.
The rest of the year was kinda plain and boring. Not much to say about it that Lisa hasn’t already said. I’ve had some struggles and am now in the process of getting on the right meds for my ADHD which has gotten crazy over the last 2 years. It all just kind of mushes together.
Plans for 2022
It’s been super hard for us to make plans with everything that’s happened in the past two years. Yet for some reason we still do. We kinda make potential plans and stick a pin in it for when it gets closer. For now, I’m looking at going on a 3-4 week journey throughout Italy in mid-late spring. Lisa and I are hoping to meet myGrandparents in Mexico for my grandfather’s birthday in September before going back to Dallas with them. When Lisa comes back to Austria I’m either headed down to Mexico City then up to Canada or Canada then Mexico city before coming back. At some point I am hoping to visit a friend of mine in Northern Germany as well as one in the Netherlands. Who knows though… Everything could change tomorrow.
I might even experience skin stitching while in Canada.
There are some big things happening this year with Nomadic Inscriptions. Two of which should be announced by the end of the first quarter, one of which absolutely will be. I’m working with some amazing people to make some awesome things happen.
How was your 2021? Did you get to go anywhere or get any new tattoos? Is there anything new you would like to see from us at Nomadic Inscriptions this year? Let us know in the comments below and send your tattoo submissions to tattoos@nomadicinscriptions.com to be featured on the site and our Instagram.
Until next time travel authentically, travel nomadically, and let the world leave it’s inscriptions on you as you do on it.
