Chapter Nine

To say the least, 2020 has been a year that has challenged me in all ways. Having worked from home now for almost a year, my sense of ‘normalcy’—if such a thing exists—has been shaken and re-formulated. I have gotten used to waking up and stepping into the office almost instantly. The separation between work and life has been blurred. The thought of waking up before the sunrise to catch an early train, at this point, seems unthinkable. I have faced days where I had no idea what to do anymore, but also moments of happiness shared with my family and boyfriend where I cherished the uniqueness of this year. Jumping between living at home with my boyfriend and visiting my parents, I almost forgot how it felt to be alone. In summer when the Covid-19 measures became more relaxed, I found myself even forgetting how it felt to take the train alone for a dinner with colleagues in Amsterdam. Although I quickly fell into the pattern again, a new sort of bond had been formed with the people who survived lockdown with me that was difficult to shake-off.

With the holidays coming up, I realize how thankful I am to be surrounded by the people I love. Even though I have mostly been able to stay in touch with my friends via Facetime calls and Netflix Party movie nights, I am thankful for it. Corona has made me realize that we are at the core social beings that long to have contact. Although at times I did miss the feeling of being alone and enjoying some personal time by myself, I recognized how much I do love to be surrounded by friends and family. 2020 has not been very eventful, but in another way, it has. Although most of my days were spent at home working and connecting behind my computer screen, I did have time to accomplish and discover new things. This year, I successfully created and launched a new project called ‘Youth for the Rhine’ that inspires young people to co-create climate adaptation innovations. I have also spent some quality time with my sister, who for the past few years was not always near me (due to our studies and internships). I also discovered a passion for boardgames, and together with my boyfriend, played many new games that helped us make it through the long weekends at home.  

2020 has been a year to remember—for the good and the bad. Although I hope that 2021 will be much better and see the eradication if not control over Covid-19, I will cherish the additional memories that this global virus brought to me. The virus did cause a lot of misery and despair to many, and idleness and loneliness to others. And yet it also brought back many of the fun activities we had long forgotten—nature walks, boardgames, arts & crafts. Although 2020 will not be remembered as my favorite year, it will be the most unique. It made for many politically incorrect memes, destabilizing presidential elections, and awkward yet addictive Tiktok videos. I will be happy to turn the page on 2020 but will look back with something that resembles a smile.