3…2…1 HAPPY NEW YEAR
Well… if only we knew what was coming!
Dear 2020
As we pass your halfway mark, I thought I would take this opportunity to sit down and share some thoughts with you. I remember sitting with my mom the week of New Year's Eve and us both reflecting on the year we had experienced. Looking back 2019 was a good year and I feel it did not receive enough credit for what it gave us. With this being said, my mom and I both agreed that we were looking forward to 2020 and we had a good feeling about it, "that it was going to be a goodie".
Well damn… no one prepared us for you! You gave us a good start, with my family and I flying to Australia to visit my mom's family. We had a fantastic trip and looking back on that trip now we are all so glad that we did it when we did. You then continued with your normal antics, starting the academic year with a bang. Considering that I had not seen my friends in almost 3 months I was happy to back.It was around about now that the news of the Coronavirus starting getting more serious with the WHO putting a response plan in place on February 3rd to help protect states with weaker immune systems but you know… we continue life as normal. It was not until the morning of the 5th of March that the first case was confirmed in South Africa. Keeping with true South African style, we made light of the situation saying how Corona has finally hit us and “Corona has entered the WhatsApp Chat”. Yet we continue life as normal, slightly oblivious as to what you were about to hit us with. Slowly but surely the cases began to rise, 1 became 10 which quickly became 100 and just like that things began to shut down. I recall sitting with my class in our lecture hall on Tuesday the 17th of March, our last day of classes for what we assumed would be a month maximum saying how we were looking forward to the break and not having to get up so early. I look back on this now as I start the last semester of my undergrad degree online in 14 days and 2020 do you know that I would give anything to be back in that lecture hall with my classmates ready to start at 8 am.
On the 27th of March South Africa began its nationwide lockdown for 3 weeks. I can't help but think you are mocking us 2020, waving our freedom in our face as 4 months later (nearly 5 actually) day 100 and whatever, WE ARE STILL IN LOCKDOWN. I can’t help but feel a part of me has changed during this time. The once zealous individual who was always out interacting with individuals and engaging in activities has now become the quieter and more subdued woman finding joy in the more peaceful side of life.
Now that I have had a good old rant and told you everything wrong with you, let me pick you up off the floor 2020 and tell you some of the positives you have given me. A part of me is grateful not to be racing around campus every day, to have this time to sit down, focus and understand the content before me. I am sure my fellow students will agree with me that having this extra time to sit and grapple with the content has done wonders for my marks. With this being said, a part of me misses that racing around dearly. That rushing from class to my class rep meetings to my tutoring sessions fulfilled me and formed a great part of who I am. It is times like this 2020 that I am so grateful that I live in the 21st century and am privileged to have access to a vast array of technology. I am constantly emphasizing to those around me how lucky I am to pick up the phone and chat with my friends, make use of video calls and continue my classes and tutoring sessions online as if we had never even stopped in the first place. In a way I am grateful for this time you have given us as you have forced me to slow down and appreciate the small things in life. I have improved my relationships with my family and friends and even formed some new, slightly more significant ones. Don't misunderstand me here 2020 I still miss my friends, family and our shenanigans significantly but you have also taught me some new lessons and have helped me discover a new part of myself. For one you finally encouraged me to start this blog, a journey which I am already loving every step of.
Upon reflection I have realized that you are maybe not as bad as I initially thought… so with 5 months of this year left to go, I intend to make the most of you.
All my love
Tayla
Resources used:
Who.int. 2020. Archived: WHO Timeline - COVID-19. [online] Available at: <https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/27-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19> [Accessed 27 July 2020].
NICD. 2020. FIRST CASE OF COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS REPORTED IN SA - NICD. [online] Available at: <https://www.nicd.ac.za/first-case-of-covid-19-coronavirus-reported-in-sa/> [Accessed 27 July 2020].
Specialprojects.news24.com. 2020. News24 Coronavirus Coverage. [online] Available at: <https://specialprojects.news24.com/coronavirus/> [Accessed 27 July 2020].