2024 in review

Happy New Year to you all!

After a busy Christmas week touring London with my parents and helping out with the cooking, I'm now kicking back and relaxing as I reflect on the past 12 months.

Goodbye to dxw

Reflecting on my 2023 review, it was clear that my time at dxw was coming to an end. Faced with worsening financial difficulties at the company and limited opportunities for career advancement, I decided to look for a new job.

As luck would have it, a new accessibility specialist vacancy opened up at the Civil Service's Government Digital Service (GDS), where I had already been working as part of an embedded team from dxw. I thought I might as well apply for it, although new many others would, so I had limited chance of getting beyond the application stage.

Somewhat unexpectedly after two months since my application I was invited for interview. I received the invitation the same day I was attending Patterns Day 3 in Brighton. Shortly after the interview, I received a job offer, but due to a few months' notice period, I couldn't start immediately.

A new government and new job in government

Almost six months in, I'm gradually adjusting to my new full-time role in accessibility alongside all the changes such as a new department and other big organisational changes related to the change in government back in July. While there's still quite a bit of uncertainty about the future in my new role, I feel somewhat more comfortable with where I am and the potential directions things could go.

Travel to South America

Shortly before staring my new job, I joined Mena for my first ever trip to Chile and Peru. Reflecting on the experience, it was fantastic overall — travelling by train in Peru, trying a variety of new dishes, and immersing myself in South American cultures. Despite all the positives, I felt somewhat overwhelmed by the busy travel schedule in mostly urban areas, the intense sightseeing, and an unexpected visit to a dermatologist for minor surgery which limited my walking abilities temporarily.

For my next trip there, I hope to take things a bit easier and understand more Spanish as well as speak it with greater confidence.

Beyond travelling to South America, it was a fairly quiet year for travel. I had three weekends back-to-back of travel to Vienna, Naples and Amsterdam in May and June. All were enjoyable and fairly relaxed, albeit Amsterdam was mostly work-related.

Cycling

This was the year I decided to fork out on a new racing bicycle and say goodbye to my trusty endurance road bicycle. After some initial teething problems that required a bike fit and necessary adjustments, I was able to ride my new bicycle without back and hip pain. My good friend Luis joined me for several rides exploring the south of England over the summer, though the mostly lousy weather conditions limited our opportunities for more outings.

What's in store for 2025?

In the coming year, I've planned at least a couple of trips to Central Europe and one to Turkey. Looking ahead to next Christmas, I hope to join Mena for another visit to Peru and Chile. I'll definitely try to increase my efforts in learning more Spanish.

It remains to be seen what the change of government could mean for my job role, but I'm remaining optimistic.
As anticipated, we bid farewell to Sunak and his awful government in 2024. However, I'm not feeling optimistic about Starmer's leadership based on the last few months, especially with Trump's return and Farage seemingly paving his way to Number 10 thanks to Elon Musk.

I worry that the decreasing availability of free-to-air coverage of cycling races on TV is diminishing my interest in watching them. In the UK, 2025 will be the last year I can watch the Tour de France on TV without a subscription.

I have at least one accessibility-related talk in the planning, alongside a side project I hope to launch in 2025.