Yearly Recap: 2024 Edition
Hey folks, I’m back with another yearly recap. Same time, same place. But seriously, was für ein Jahr, Mann!
1st Quarter: Fresh Start
If you read my 2023 recap, you know I was gearing up for my first job in Germany. Well, I jumped right into it! The first three months were a wild ride, a bit stressful to be honest. I’d never worked on such a big project before, but it’s something I’ve always dreamed of.
Getting up to speed took a lot of effort, but it paid off when I started doing demos and hearing positive feedback by year’s end. Huge shoutout to my experienced colleagues for helping me get here. One thing I learned: being a senior dev is more about your attitude than your skills.
2nd Quarter: Probation Passed, Adventures Began
Three months in, I cleared my probation period (phew). Time to celebrate, right? A late-night ping-pong session with friends (and a bit of alcohol) sparked a brilliant idea: a bike trip along the Dutch coast.
We hit up cities like Leiden, Den Haag, and my favorite, Delft. TU Delft gave me some serious uni envy, it’s such a cool place. The trip was wild: biking ~70km a day, camping on the coast, waking up to rain, beautiful sunsets. It was all about surviving in nature, and I loved every second of it.
Later, I took my first-ever solo trip to Rome. The Colosseum and Roman Forum blew my mind, and the food? Pizza, pasta, gelato—yes, please! Pro tip: try the ginger-honey gelato if you’re ever there. I’m craving for it now..
3rd Quarter: A Few Setbacks but Still Memorable
This quarter started strong: I joined a local football group that played intense matches every weekend. But after just a month, an accidental kick to my ankle sidelined me for the rest of the summer. No football, no volleyball at Allersee, nothing.
Instead, I turned my focus to reading and preparing for my driving theory exam. Spoiler alert: I passed!
In September, I had two amazing trips:
Belgrade: Visited a friend who acted as our local guide. Balkan hospitality is no joke, his family spoiled us with the best local food. He’s also got a crazy friend circle. You can never get bored around them. I guess Serbia is very underrated!
Baku: Headed home to deal with a military call. Thankfully, I managed to sort it out without having to serve. Guys from the Post-Soviet world will understand this part better. 😀 Bonus: My company let me work remotely for a month, so I saved vacation days while spending quality time with family.
4th Quarter: Wins and Winter Fun
With my theory test done, it was time for the practical driving exam. I got lubky with an awesome instructor. No unnecessary lessons, just the essentials. Passed on my first try! It’s such a flex to have. 😀 Now the hunt for a good first car begins in 2025.
In December, I finally went on a long-awaited ski trip to Zakopane, Poland. It started as a group of three, but one friend had to drop out after a knee injury (he got hurt trying to renew his squad record—Verrückt, oder?).
Zakopane was perfect for beginners. After 4 lessons, we were snowboarding like pros—or at least trying to. 😀 I enjoyed it so much that I’ve already booked another trip to Davos, Switzerland. It’s partly sponsored by my school, and we’ll have our own slope. How could I say no?
Looking back, 2024 was a solid year. I regained my financial freedom after a gap year, which feels amazing.
PS: This recap exists because my domain auto-renewed, and I didn’t want to waste those 20 bucks. Until next year!