2020; Recognising our ability to adapt

It suddenly dawned on me that this would be my last blog post of 2020, and I found myself wondering how the hell I can summarise such a tumultuous year in just a few hundred words, cover all aspects and keep you entertained? Well, here’s my attempt.

Reflecting

It’s a funny one isn’t it? We live abroad for the intercultural adventure, exposure and interaction. Yet rather than spontaneous trips and coincidentally meeting new people, we’ve spent the most part of 2020 staring at the same four walls.

I looked back on the blog posts I’ve published this year, and it’s clear that I’ve had the opportunity to explore more of Hessen, and appreciate the small businesses that richly contribute to Frankfurt’s society.

There were times when I thought that I was coping really well, but after I got back from my trip to the Allgäu, I sat in my apartment and cried. I think because I’d had a glimpse of normality and then felt as if I’d been catapulted back into the tough reality of the pandemic. Despite the constraints, I attempted, as did many, to get out and about when I could, exploring the 3 Castles hiking trail, Frankfurt City Forest, and Seligenstadt to name a few.

And whilst I like to keep my private life private, there were some experiences that I just had to speak out about; mainly racism and the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, and the ups and downs of lockdown.

It’s been a hard year for all of us. Some much more than others.

Looking forward

To be honest with you, I am not holding on to the end of 2020 meaning that we can finally breathe a breath of fresh air. I keep seeing this ‘can’t wait for the end of 2020’ stuff on social media, but I am pretty sure that Corona virus is not too concerned with the Gregorian calendar.

However, I do feel our ability to adapt goes underrated. As humans, we’re always expected to keep going. There is so much pressure to be productive, successful and show the world that you’re bossing it. But why not, during the first pandemic in over a decade, just give ourselves the time to stop for a bit. Stopping doesn’t mean giving up, it means taking a break. (And actually, if there is something or someone that this year has made you realised you should give up on, then good for you.) Despite it being difficult, the fact that we have been able to adapt to this tumultuous pandemic and everything else that’s gone wrong this year, should not go underrated. If there’s one thing that you take into the new year with you, let it be the recognition of your ability to adapt.

For now, I will leave it at that as this blog post is certainly longer than the few hundred words that I usually publish. But if you’ve made it this far, I guess I have managed to keep you entertained 😊

Thanks for your ongoing support.

Alisa x