Dubai: With the New Year approaching, people find themselves reflecting on an year gone by and contemplating experiences that left their mark along the way.

While some of those we spoke to had plenty of pleasant experiences to share, there were also those for whom 2014 wasn’t exactly a smooth ride and they had to jog their memories for the brighter moments.

Gulf News asked individuals to share their experiences — good and bad — over the course of the year.

“To me, getting married to my husband was the highlight of my year because the experience was in the way we met,” said Reem Ameen, 37, from Saudi Arabia. “I used to see him frequently because we have mutual friends and I never thought we would even have a chance to speak but I guess I was wrong because one year later we got married.”

For Reem, 2014 marked the start of her journey with her life partner. Although she could not think of any bad experiences that affected her personally, she did mention that the conflicts and bloodshed that took place in the past year have helped her to be more thankful for everything she has.

Though Reem found her life partner, Kirolos Yousuf, a 25-year-old year old Sudanese interior designer was left ruing a missed opportunity after he hesitated to approach the woman he was interested in and she got along with someone else.

Looking on the bright side, Yousuf challenged himself at a professional level throughout the year, pursuing new challenges. He rose to a much higher position than the one in his previous job and is performing exceptionally well thus far.

“In both experiences I was taught to avoid overthinking and take the risk no matter what it is,” he said.

Peter Guirguis, a Canadian, said he does not believe in bad experiences since one can always come away with a positive outlook by making an effort to always find the good in things. Guirguis’ brother underwent a serious surgery but made a speedy recovery and that has been the highlight of the year for him.

“Seeing my brother complete his final session of radiation treatment successfully with no traces was the best thing that happened to me and my family,” he said.

Marina Makary, 21, from Egypt said a book she read had made for her best experience. Marina said she had no interest in reading in the past but after finishing A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hussaini she discovered a passion for books.

“A bad experience that comes to mind was when Egypt lost the match against Ghana during the World Cup,” she said. “Football is the source of happiness to all Egyptians and when Egypt did not qualify, it upset me but it also taught me to avoid being too hopeful.”

Behzad Sandila, a 22-year-old old Pakistani, said his trip to Los Angeles for a filmmaking course was definitely the highlight of his year. Sandila said he was able to make new friends after meeting people enrolled for the same course.

“A bad experience would have to be the prolonged illness of both my parents right now,” he said. “In 2015, I hope for them to get better and for me to travel some more.”

There have been ups and downs in 2014 for most individuals and it has been a rollercoaster ride no doubt, but just about everyone is looking forward to see what 2015 holds for them.

— Maria Botros is a trainee at Gulf News