2020 has been very challenging for everyone. I entered the year 2020 anxious of things to come. I felt worried and anxious, but I had to forge through – right? I remember attending a kiddie party one afternoon in January and then receiving a photo from a friend that Taal Volcano was acting up. Little did we all know that it was the great bang of 2020 for all of us.
I remember going home that night telling Panget that we needed to buy masks. I knew that we needed some sort of a mask because I was old enough to remember the Mount Pinatubo ashfall. I remembered most of the reminders of what and what not to do during an ashfall. Wear a mask, and if you’re driving – do not, I repeat do not turn on your wipers because it will damage the windshield. I remembered the reminder to stay indoors and to turn of air purifiers. I never thought it would happen again in my lifetime. But it did.
And that was the start of 2020. It was a literal pre-show to the rest of 2020.
Weeks after, there was news of a coronavirus going around in China. I was personally NOT afraid and the only reason was because – the Philippines was the only country in Asia that had a low infection and mortality rate at that time. I assumed this was because the country was already used to the ‘dirty’ environment that we were already immune to it. I had friends who had to come home from Beijing because of the outbreak. So the news of a new strain of a coronavirus wasn’t alarming to me.
As the days and weeks progressed, the new of such wasn’t dying down but instead was getting a lot of traction and attention. I was still not worried because well – there were no reports of infections in the country. A week passed and there were confirmed infections – from China mainlanders, tourists who were coming to the country to celebrate the Chinese New Year. I remember this because the CNY was on my birthday! It was all over the news how China was trying to control the spread of the virus. I know for a fact that most Chinese mainlanders travel during the Chinese New Year. This is sometimes they ONLY time they go home to their families. So you can just imagine sa spread of the infection. I personally experienced how busy an airport and a train station becomes during a holiday – it’s complete chaos and MADNESS. You wouldn’t want to be in any airport or train station in these times because it will be packed as in literally packed worse than sardines! People will be pushing their way to their wanted direction – it’s scary, really scary .
The whole world was watching on the progress of the virus. Everyday I would hear and see ‘corona virus’ news. It was concerning at that time, but not alarming yet. Then March 2020 came and everything went haywire.
The country had a patient zero in San Juan – the city where I go to on a daily basis because that is where my kids are studying. Classes were suspended and at that time, I was quite irritated that they did. Little did I know that this was the start of what becomes of our lockdown pandemic life.
I personally believe that the lockdown was done with poor planning. The government was downplaying the situation and was aloof on the matter. It was becoming something of a concern and everyone was at the edge of their seats. And then the lockdown happened. Everyone was stunned, most businesses were put on hold. The government said it was for a short time and that everyone needed to comply. And we all complied, well most of us.
Then the news of the infection rate started soaring. Everyday I was waiting for the news bulletin from the DOH regarding the increasing cases. Then a few days into lockdown – I received news that my Ninong, the youngest brother of my dad – had died because of Covid19. It was shocking, truly shocking. I spoke to my aunt and she was telling me how it happened VERY VERY fast and that when my uncle passed, his test result wasn’t released yet but most medical practitioners who saw my uncle said it was definitely Covid19. A week after his death, it was confirmed – he was now part of the statistic. This was an eye opener for me, for us – thus, we became very careful. As careful as we can be.
The lockdown was a calming change. What once was a fast paced life was slowed down – a whole lot. We didn’t need to wake up very early for school. I didn’t need to rush out of the office to pick up Connor. The kids are able tp rest well and most importantly – they were all well. No one had cough or colds. They were okay. The days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months and here we are, still on a lockdown, well semi lockdown of sorts.
My habits have changed. I shifted careers and became a baker. It was an accidental blessing, and a true blessing. It was a dream come true for me, to be able to make something and share it to others. Who would have thought that my 40th year on earth would be life changing? Not me, but here I am, here we are.
But it wasn’t so for everyone. A lot of business struggled and are still struggling to keep open. A lot of people suffered, jobs were lost and income was less than expected. But I realized that we have to power through, we need to shift and think of what else we can do to earn a living. We cannot just sit and wait for things to get better. We need to move our asses and think of what we can do.
So, goodbye 2020. You were challenging to say the least. WE are all confused on what you are – are you an end or are you the beginning?
