Wow, it’s already 2023! Time flies, and I don’t know about you, but I felt like, in some way, we’re still in limbo. The World Health Organization (WHO) has not denounced COVID-19 yet from its pandemic status, so we’re still in that situation. Nonetheless, we are all living in a new normal – where people are more aware of themselves, their health, and others, whether good or bad. The health emergency situation changed us in so many different ways.

February has just started, and was it just me, or does January have 365 days in one month? It’s like a series on Netflix that you started watching, and it wasn’t really that good, but you have this thing in you that you have to finish that you drag yourself to finish just because. That’s what January 2023 felt like. Too many things happened in just one month. And I look forward to February not because it’s the “love” month, as they say, but because I will see one of my best friends after eight years. She will visit me here in France, and we will travel together, especially to places like Paris which she has never visited.

Back in 2022, I never thought that I would be able to travel a lot. I have been to many places in France (although a Strasbourg Christmas went out of my cards because of the unexpected strikes by the trains during the Christmas weekend). I also went to Costa Rica for a business trip, my first time going to that region, and it was fascinating! I also had the chance to finally visit my family in the Philippines after three years. I also went back to Italy many times this year, especially when my friend married! I also went to Lisbon, Portugal, and had the chance to meet new, interesting people and their cultures.

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Work has been kind, as well. I could now grasp the project I was handling, and being the person in contact with our key partners in the travel industry during that period was a fascinating experience for me.

So as I look back on what 2022 was, I look forward to 2023. There will be new challenges, that’s for sure. And here in my blog, here are some of the things that I prepared to share with you: my personal recipes of Filipino dishes, as well as some French and Thai food that I could make as my own. I will also post some tips about my travels. I am also thinking about sharing more tips about living life as a foreign ex-pat in this beautiful country, France. 🙂