Where was I 10 years ago? .... The discovery of passions

2011 was a very significant year for me. When reading this question from @photogames (link), my first internal response was "Uh, at work...duh!" (More about that later). But when I opened Google Timeline, I realised that in between the crazyness at work, I had also visited a couple of countries in Europe, and those trips all stood out in their very own way... So if you ask me now, after thinking about it for a bit, "Where were you 10 years ago?", my response would be: "Being in the right place at the right time, discovering my passions"

Work:

In 2011, a high-profile case had started at work that needed some data analytics and innovation. I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and was added to the special taskforce for this case. This was going to be the most interesting work year of my life that among others kickstarted my realisation that I am good at challenges/games like "whereisitwednesday". It was the year in which I discovered many of my work-passions that have been the basis to many career choices since.

I was working crazy hours fighting one of the worst types of crimes and protecting some very vulnerable people. In between all seriousness, we also needed (and had) a lot of fun to compensate for the tragic things that we saw. We pulled plenty of pranks and I managed to also learn a lot about data science, cyber security, hackers and encryption.

^{The moment we put a co-worker inside a drink-vending machine... or did we?}

Genoa & Sardegna:

Earlier blog about Genoa part
Earlier blog about the Alghero part of this trip

But with crazy hours, you need to recharge whenever you can. And in spring it was possible to sneak out for 2 weeks. I decided to fly to Milan, take the train to Genoa, take the boat to Sardegna and then rent a car there. It was the best idea ever that resulted in me declaring my eternal love for Sardegna.

After that... back to work again. Close to the end of the year, we all started to wrap up and it was time for me to spend some time away from my desk again.

Lisbon:

Earlier blog about it
It was my first time in Lisbon, and did I not enjoy myself! It ended up on the list of "least favorite places I ever visited". Such a different situation than what I experienced in Sardegna.

After such a disappointing trip I decided to quickly attempt a new location... Something to do with "if you fall off the horse, get right back on again"

Barcelona:

(never blogged about it... weird)
It was my first time in Barcelona and it was amazing! I fell in love with everything Gaudi. The city trip was like walking around one massive piece of art.

So yeah, 2011... I discovered data science, cyber security, investigations, innovation, Sardegna, Barcelona, Gaudi, and probably also a little photography along the way...