Public share plans for the coming year |30 December 2017

It’s that time of the year again. It is the time for making resolutions, preparing for a new year to come and reflecting on what has been achieved so far. In light of this the Seychelles NATION took to the streets of Victoria to gauge public opinion on the upcoming end of year celebrations, their New Year resolutions and how they are planning to tackle the next 365 days.

Our first encounter was with a 23-year-old Takamaka resident who said that his resolutions for 2018 include subscribing to the gym, learning how to save his money and drinking less.

“My list is more or less the same one I did for the beginning of 2017, except that I lacked motivation to go through with them,” he shared.

In the same spirit, an 18-year-old Perseverance resident said that for 2018 she wants to “achieve all the things I couldn’t in 2017 and better myself by focusing on my own well-being and less on other people’s”.

Lucy-Tania Jean, a 23-year-old who is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in business administration, told the NATION that she truly hopes to lose weight in 2018, a feat she has been attempting to accomplish for a while but have not been able to due to her circumstances.

“I was going to the fitness trail [located in Roche Caïman] regularly while on attachment with Barclays Bank in town. But I stopped because I live in Takamaka and I’m too tired to go all the way to the fitness trail after finishing my classes at UniSey [in Anse Royale],” she said.

We also met an intriguing 27-year-old from La Misère who revealed a long list of New Year resolutions. He stated that he has already achieved some of his 2017 resolutions but hopes to complete another batch of goals for 2018, and these include: learning a new language, reading at least 10 books, improving his relationship with friends and family, and loving himself.

We also took the opportunity to ask interviewees on how they are planning to say goodbye to 2017 and, while many of our younger interviewees spoke of parties, many of our older population said they expect to have a calmer end of year celebration.

“I’ll be working on December 31 and January 1, so I am just planning to do my job, go home, eat and sleep,” Marie-Paule, who is a security officer, stated matter-of-factly.

Meanwhile Lise Mellie from La Gogue said she would be celebrating 22 years of marriage with her husband on December 31, hence she will be throwing a small get-together on that day with her friends and family.

Thirty-year-old Sam said: “I’ll be working until late on New Year’s Eve but I’m definitely going to have some fun once I’m done.”

As for 57-year-old Michel Marcel who works at the Agency for Social Protection, he had this little piece of wisdom to share: “I hope 2018 becomes the year when all Seychellois unite to create a more harmonious and peaceful country.”