A Sober NYE in Valencia
My first sober NYE in a long time.
I wanted to experience the feeling of seeing in the New Year clear-headed and I knew doing this would make me feel more certain that 2024 will be a better year than 2023 for me.
The beginning of this year was off to an awesome start when I finally found an amazing social group who have really brought out the best in me. However, throughout this year my mood was 70% depressed, I didn’t feel like I was ‘living’ my life, instead I just felt I was existing and everyday was a dead-end.
Towards the week of Christmas, I decided to stay with my cousins in Spain for three weeks in January as I just needed to get away from the stress I felt back at home and begin the year in the best mindset possible, as things kept going wrong.
I spent New Year’s 2023 in Valencia, a Spanish coastal city that is further down south of Barcelona. It is full of expats, language learners, orange trees and fitness fanatics all passionate about living life the best way possible. It is a super safe community in Valencia, I took so many solo walks at night and didn’t feel at all uncomfortable!
Italian, French, Moroccan and South American cultures fuel the small charming city of Valencia. You would never think that such a teeny Spanish coastal city would incorporate people from all walks of life. Lovely Argentinian men running a popping ice cream gelateria, Brits hosting Quiz nights at two student hotspots twice per week, language exchange meetups in wine bars run by Irish folk, it is very diverse!
New Years began with a wholesome food gathering and ended with a firework show on the street. Valencians drunkenly yet with sophistication in their beige formal wear wondered down from their terraced apartments to see 2024 in with flutes in one hand and the bottle in the other. As the fireworks made their bang after shooting up from the streets I felt relieved it was the beginning of a year, and I always feel a thrill of excitement in the New Year, as its the easiest time to turn your life around - it’s a fresher start and the awkward past times feel further behind you as you’re in a different date.
I am writing this post in the January of 2025, after a lovely Christmas well spent in Valencia. It was magical to start the year there and end the year there as I associate this city with feeling fulfilled and living life at a slower pace. Revisiting gave it much more meaning to me as I felt much more refreshed compared to the start of 2024, and I managed to change so much of my life by the end of 2024.
