It's not easy to proclaim so enthusiastically that a year was good openly when someone reading this may have had a difficult year. But if that were the case, we couldn't celebrate victories, successes, or anything else, knowing that others might be going through tough times. Life is very fast and fragile. In a minute, you can be radiant with happiness, and the next minute, anything can happen to take it away. To you, to someone close, to anyone. We have no control over that. So, I want to write this now because now is when I feel how good this year was for me, remembering all the things I did. And maybe tomorrow, I won't feel the same. So, here we go!

The last time I posted an article was on my birthday in February, the first blog post. I did it with a lot of excitement, thinking about writing and publishing many of my adventures this year. A few days later, I started working at Buk with an incredible team. Not a single day passed, and I was already announcing, with some fear, that the day after tomorrow, I was going on a trip around many parts of the world with no return date. Luckily, there was no problem! They were great with me. So, the adventure was starting off on the right foot. My head was thinking that I got a job, that I had a blog, that I was going to do many interesting things, and that I was going to be traveling, working, and writing articles all at the same time. How naive.

I left Santiago, Chile, with my family to Naples with a layover in Madrid. And on the second flight, I thought about starting to write the first post. This was the introduction:

But it stayed at that, an introduction and many writings just for myself. I wanted to write as much as I could, but obviously, I was only going to publish a part of what I wrote, and I didn't have time to write both versions. Anyway, if you're traveling, I totally recommend doing it every day. In the future, you can read them and remember exactly what you were thinking at that moment, like going back in time when you hear a song that marks you. It's priceless.

Arriving in Naples, we couldn't find the suitcases. They were lost in Madrid. The first unpleasant moment where I also had to test my Italian that I hadn't practiced for years. It was strange because I could understand everything but had a hard time building sentences to express what I wanted to say. I solved it by speaking in English while asking the woman to speak to me in Italian. By the way, one out of every three suitcases is lost in flights, so it was a good reminder that traveling just with a backpack was fine. Fortunately, it was only one suitcase; all the others we brought were carry-ons.

We stayed in Sorrento, so it took a long time to get there. The rest of the day was just work. That's how it was those first months. Walking during the day and working when it started to get dark. Meetings? Anywhere! On a train, bus, subway, cafe... This is what remote work can be like!

We were there for a few days. We visited the Amalfi Coast, Amalfi, Positano, passing through super narrow roads with cliffs on the side. We visited the marina of Sorrento and ate pizza, cannoli, and cappuccinos as we strolled around.

For my taste, the best in that area is Pompeii. Being there and walking on the same streets where thousands of Romans walked two thousand years ago was like going back in time. I could imagine at least a little how life could have been there in the year 79 when Mount Vesuvius erupted. There are many ruins, but the scale of things remains. You just had to know a little history and imagine the things that happened there while you're in that place. Truly amazing.

Obviously, we also went to Naples and visited the iconic places, and as it couldn't be otherwise, we ate exquisite pizza at Pizzeria Da Michele. I still need to go back and do a tour of Neapolitan pizzerias! Oh, and by the way, the suitcase finally arrived.

Then we set off for Rome. Many things were the same as the last time I had been there. The atmosphere of this city are amazing, especially at the Trevi Fountain. I went there every day we were in Rome! Every day, I met many very friendly people. The opener for almost all these conversations was, "do you want me to help you take a photo?". While you chat, you can have a delicious ice cream from the adjacent ice cream parlors, while you hear the sound of water running.

As in every Italian city, we visited the most iconic places, for the second time. The Colosseum, the Vatican and the Vatican Museums, St. Peter's Basilica, Piazza Venezia, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza Navona, and more. This time, I skipped some things I already knew. If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that I don't want to visit museums again next time I come here.

If you like Apple, you can go to the most elegant Apple Store in Europe. I also took the opportunity to buy clothes nearby. Do you like Cappuccino? The one from Bar Fondi is the best I've ever tasted in my life. Seriously. I haven't been able to find another one as good as that place. In Carlo Menta and Regina Restaurant, you also eat too well. Really, there are many good places to eat delicious pasta. I can't wait to go back just to have delicious breakfasts every day, have lunch, and have pasta for dinner non-stop.

Then we went to Florence; we stayed here for fewer days. Although it is a beautiful city, it's not something I can appreciate much, honestly. I took the opportunity to buy a belt in the San Lorenzo market, where they sell a lot of leather. By the way, if you go there, you have to practice bargaining skills quite a bit, to the point that buying becomes quite stressful. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is nearby, but I preferred to use that time for other things. I had also been there before.

Next stop, Venice! The last time I was here, it was very cold, to the point that I lost track of all distances, although I went during the carnival season. This time there was no carnival, but at least the weather was better. I'm still impressed by how this city moves only with watercraft. Need to go to work? Take the Vaporetto and wait at the floating bus stop! Taxi? No problem, hop on a boat.

We went to Murano, a small island that is a bit further away, to the Rialto Bridge, the Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's Square, and we simply got lost in the tangled alleys of the city full of canals and bridges.

The next city was Paris. We were there for several days too, going through the typical things. I had also been there before, but that time, it had rained. I didn't feel like I had known the city as much as now, where I could walk much more.

We continued to Bilbao, Madrid, passed through Avila and Segovia, Valladolid, Burgos, and visited my grandparents' villages. You really eat too well in Spain! We also diverted to Porto for a few more days. Finally, the last city I was with my family was Barcelona. There, I finished getting some documents I needed, met with a friend, and went to Egypt.

Egypt was a total change. We arrived in the early morning, got lost in downtown Cairo without understanding the address of the Airbnb, but after struggling, we arrived, and it was very far from where we were. Another reminder that you should only travel with a backpack.

Everything was more chaotic than I'm used to. I started trying Egyptian food on the plane, and the next day we took a tour with Magy through Airbnb Experiences, where she took us around downtown Cairo and areas where tourists don't usually go. We rode a tuk-tuk and tried many delicious foods.

We also took another very good tour. They took us to the pyramids, we got on a carriage, I rode a camel, rode a motorcycle in the desert, visited some shops, and finally had food at an Egyptian restaurant. Everything was truly amazing. I was a bit scared when getting on the camel; I barely had anywhere to hold on, and it was super high!

We continued the journey to Luxor. There, we got on a hot air balloon at sunrise; it was great, much calmer than I expected, including the landing. Then we took a cruise on the Nile while visiting the most important temples. We visited Abu Simbel and reached Aswan, where we took advantage of walking around the city at night while soaking up the atmosphere.

We returned to Cairo, and a few days later, we flew to Dubai, which didn't welcome me very well at the beginning. We didn't arrive at the largest and most well-known airport but at another neighboring emirate. Entry was done with iris recognition, and as I'm blind, I had quite a few problems. Their alternative procedure was ridiculous. Pay for a doctor to provide a medical certificate validating that I have visual impairment and it wasn't cheap. After complaining a lot, they gave me the appointment without payment, and everything consisted of a conversation about my medical history in a couple of minutes. All to leave and present the certificate, and another superior scolded the staff for making me go through that, saying that there was another alternative procedure for that. It was quite unpleasant; I hadn't had a very comfortable flight and was angry. So angry that I realized it, but I couldn't help but feel it, when I usually tend to take this kind of inconvenience calmly.

But after that problem, everything was amazing! We met another friend who also came from Chile. We visited many places in Dubai, went on a desert safari, I touched a peregrine falcon, slid down a sandboard, and rode a camel again.

But the best part was having launched from one skyscraper to another on the world's longest zipline! At 170 meters high and 80 kilometers per hour. The guys from Xline offer a great experience, even deliver an edited video. Truly, at first, it is a bit scary, but after a few seconds, it is totally liberating, and you fly as if you were a superhero with adrenaline at its peak.

Then we flew to Istanbul, went to Eskişehir and Cappadocia. We had a great time there, went to many parties, and ate many durums; I even learned how to order it in Turkish. In Cappadocia, I also paraglided from a hill, with acrobatics included by the instructor!

We continued to Vienna, and then it was Croatia's turn, but I had to go to Barcelona for an emergency. So later, I rejoined my friends in Valencia and spent several days together there. Then I went to Madrid to pick up my electronic residence from Estonia and went on to Copenhagen to visit my cousin.

Copenhagen is truly a first-world city. The air is extremely clean, the subway very modern and efficient, and the people very friendly. But the most remarkable thing for me was the security. I'm still amazed that you can leave your things unprotected and go for a swim in the sea without anything happening. That is not common in most of the world and is invaluable. Also, I was very lucky with the weather! Every day was sunny, and I left with the best impression of the city. If there's one thing that makes me hesitate to live in Nordic countries, it's their climate. I still have to experience the cold of 20 degrees below zero to know if I could endure a whole winter.

Then I returned to Barcelona again but for a longer time. I stayed there for 4 months, and it was great. I made very good friends and visited many fun places. The best was undoubtedly going to the PortAventura amusement park for a whole weekend! Barcelona has too many activities to do.

In October, I went to Amsterdam for my first conference, Rails World! It's a two-day event where all Ruby on Rails framework-loving programmers gather to attend talks and chat. I was very nervous at first, but everything turned out great. There was a lot of excitement in the air about all the news. It was exciting to talk to everyone about Ruby on Rails with that passion that unites us. The community is very nice and welcoming, and I made many friends there too. I definitely want to go to next year's Rails World in Toronto!

And finally, I returned to Chile a few days later. Now I'm with my family, planning the next year full of challenges. Also I will be uploading photos to my Instagram.

I really feel fulfilled. In addition to all the experiences and places I visited, I met many really cool people and significantly improved my English. Finally, I dared to be more active in the Rails community and finally immersed myself fully in open source. I made my first pull requests to Ruby on Rails, Turbo, and other libraries, and some of them have already been merged. That gives me a great satisfaction and leaves me even more motivated to continue contributing to the community that has given me so much.

Let's go for another year to keep growing! Happy New Year!