A few things that made my 2023 interesting..

A neighborhood park in Anchorage

2023 is my best year so far, followed by 2019, 2017, 2015, and 2013. This post lists 30 things that made my 2023 interesting.

1. Joining University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) as a tenure-track assistant professor.

It is nice to wear the faculty hat.

2. Successful Goals

My goals for 2023 as of 2022 December were: moving to Alaska and a tenure-track faculty position. This makes my 2023 professionally successful.

3. A week in the Adak Island, AK.

Canceled flights made us stay longer - throughout the Christmas vacation. This land of 37 residents has a soul and a heart.

4. Train to Fairbanks, AK.

The ride was my most remarkable train ride ever, with views of Denali Mountain.

Snow meets the waves in the Bering Sea

5. Being a student again.

I did two undergraduate courses from Alaska Native Studies (AKNS) at the UAA. I got "A" for both!

6. The feeling of moving and starting from zero once more!

Moving to another city after 5 years brought back memories of my migrations of Erasmus Mundus days (2012 - 2019).

7. Learning a language after a long time.

It is nice to learn some elementary Dena'ina Language, the native language of Anchorage (Dghayitnu) in Denaina homeland (Dena'ina Ełnena).

8. Reading on Alaska Native Perspectives.

A lot to learn on the topic. I am looking forward to working on the topic more with  Alaska Native scholars.

9. Siberian folk music.

I recently found some Siberian folk music and got addicted to those. 

10. The most beautiful Bering Sea.

The mountain view with snow and waves separated by a narrow strip of sand.

The Niagara Falls, ON, Canada

11. Sleet storm and extreme winds with wet snow and blowing snow in the Adak Island

This westernmost city of the US have extreme weathers due to its location in the Aleutian island chain.

12. Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX

It is now one of my favorite downtowns in the US.

13. Flight with miles.

Our flight to ADK was the first time I used miles to buy a flight ticket. I am getting more used to traveling Alaskan.

14. Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, CA

I have been to Santa Monica thrice. But this was the first time spending long time in the beach.

Montego Bay, Jamaica

15. Google Summer of Code (GSoC) Mentor Summit.

This was my third time for the mentor summit. Second time attending one in the US. Last time was in 2019 Munich. Some familiar faces, some new friends.

16. Two papers at the IEEE Computer Magazine!

One each at 56(8) and 56(9)!

17. A day in Seattle.

And first time using a "DayUse" hotel. It is so helpful for early arrivals.

18. Season-3.

Anchorage made me feel like the start of the season 3 of my life. It is also the first city I connected to, after Lisboa.

Denali, AK

19. Traveling abroad after 2020 February.

And smooth border crossings.

20. Hot beaches in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Nice to be back in the Caribbean. 

21. Family reunion in ON, Canada.

We can see how time flies.

22. The Niagara Falls from the Canadian side.

This is my first time with this waterfalls, although this is often the first stop for Sri Lankans coming to Canada or US.   

 23. The Nepal Restaurant in Anchorage, AK

This reminds me of the now-permanently-closed Restaurante Kathmandu in Arroios, which we used to frequent while in Lisboa.

24. Early morning walks to work.

I love the morning view from my office. So I always arrive at 7:35 am or earlier, even in the dark Anchorage winters.

Fairbanks Twice, this year!

25. A night walk in Pittsburgh, PA.

This city felt mysterious. The visit was a rushed one due to other travel plans.

26. Faculty Interviews.

Enjoyed meeting interesting colleagues. This year was also my first time having proper formal interviews. All my previous job interviews were kind of informal.

27. Meeting my late mentor's family and colleagues at Los Angeles, CA.

A sad moment, but also somewhat refreshing to meet his caring family.

28. Meetups at Anchorage Pel'Meni.

This Russian dumplings spot has become my default spot to meet colleagues and friends.

29. Northern Lights from Campbell Park.

This year, we saw clear displays from this neighborhood park with some sleepless nights.

30. My github.io website.

I always wanted to make an academic website. This year got the motivation to set one up. Big achievement, indeed. :P

Every year, I have only one new year's resolution - to outperform my previous years. :) This will be an interesting challenge for my 2024, indeed, to overtake my 2023. I wish you a happy new year. Thanks for reading my list until the end. You may read the blog posts of all the previous years as well.