I used to dislike doing such reflections of the previous year and setting new plans and dreams for the New Year. But, a few years ago, I started enjoying this process of going through my past experiences and setting new plans for the New Year! I find it therapeutic and positive.
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So let’s first see my 2021. It was an interesting year, where I re-established my values: I put my family and friends first, then business and then passions. It led to the decision to start home-schooling my daughters (aged 3 and 7). It wasn’t an easy decision, and it’s still a demanding and challenging experience for our family, but we so appreciate this time together and being able to properly get to know each other at different stages in our lives.
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In business, we ran all our language courses online for the whole year of 2021. I think we feel more comfortable and professional when running our lessons online and as a consequence both teachers and learners enjoy the process of online teaching / learning even more. Towards the end of 2021, we needed to find new tutors in three languages! I was stressed it’d take us a long time, but it turned out to be a quick process, and we’re so happy with our new additions to the language school. Finally, we celebrated our 9th anniversary; I’m so grateful for our wonderful language tutors and passionate and dedicated language learners.
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And my passions. I love travelling, swimming, cycling, learning languages and reading. We went camping twice and climbed Table Mountain in the Brecon Beacons, we swam in the sea, a river (for the first time!) and a lake, we went cycling in snow, rain and wind, I listened to podcasts in Czech, Polish and English, and read books in those languages, too. I think it was a good year!
Now, what are my hopes and plans for 2022? I think I’d like to be more patient when I’m with my children. Only through having children I’ve realised how impatient I am! Even though it’s only January, we already started spring-cleaning our house; yes, I felt it needed some freshness, changes in its interior design and overall organisation. It’s going well, but very slow.
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In business, we’ll continue running our language courses and lessons online. I think for the time being, it’s an ideal solution for both teachers and learners alike. However, we’d like to get ready to offer face-to-face learning on top of our online offer, and also to have in-person meet-ups with our students and tutors.
Personally, language-wise, I think maintaining English, Polish and Czech at the right level is going well, but I need to put more attention into improving my French and forming a good learning routine. I also dream about travelling, but slower and more sustainable. I definitely plan to spend more time in nature, by the sea and by lakes. I also want to remain as active as I’ve been last year, doing morning stretching, walking, cycling and swimming (best of all: wild swimming!).
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These are my reflections on 2021 and visions for 2022. Do you make plans / visions / dreams for the New Year? Please let me know in the comments below.