Happy 2018!

This is the third New Year I've rung in from Amman, and I'm happy and thankful that this is the most optimistic, and - dare I say it - stress-free start to the year I've had as a freelancer. 2017 was full of ups and downs, but I'm grateful that those down times were actually experiences that led me to something new and better. I spent a lot of time working on personal video and photography projects, got into grad school, and finished off the year working with some great new clients.

I won't make you read about my personal goals and ambitions for the coming year (hint: I may or may not exercise more/eat healthier), but here's a look back at some favorite images from 2017.

Tensions between Jordan and Israel culminated in ongoing protests after President Trump announced that he would move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, officially recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital in the process. Thousands marched, waving Palestinian flags in downtown Amman on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017.

First signs of fall and a view of a minaret from Rainbow Street in Amman.

Indian actress and UNICEF ambassador Priyanka Chopra visits UNICEF's Makani center in Amman, where Syrian children participate in after school activities, including art therapy.

A Syrian man who suffered a spinal injury undergoes physiotherapy treatment at the Find a Better Way center in Amman.

Protesters march in the funeral of 17-year-old Mohammed al-Jawawdeh, who was shot and killed at the Israeli embassy in Amman.

Children practice yoga at the Collateral Repair Project community center in Amman.

Sudanese women wait with their children outside a supermarket for their turn to purchase groceries through Collateral Repair Project's food voucher program for refugees in Amman.

Penang, Malaysia

Malaysians take part in celebrations ahead of their independence day in Kuala Lumpur.

Roman ruins in Jerash, Jordan.

Traveling for my master's program in Germany also took me briefly to Amsterdam in November.