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THE YEAR OF CHANGE: FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE
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January
Personal:
Sick on New Year's Day :( -
January
Global:
Air strike kills civilians in Ariha, Syria from Syria's last major opposition bastion of Idlib Connection to obstacles:
Syria has been dealt major blows and the civilian population have been targeted. If nothing, the general population of Syria have had to persevere. -
February
Global: Syrian families fleeing attacks by pro-regime forces in the town of Abin Semaan. The lives of these families were changed forever because of these would-be attacks and the people involved will never truly be able to live a life free of this violence. -
February
Personal:
I run into a lot of friendship obstacles which leads to this being possibly the worst month of this year for me. I had a deep sense of isolation during this time and I wasn't able to fully recover from the events of this month until long into quarantine, hence why the "loneliness" of quarantine helped me improve myself and my state-of-mind and why these obstacles helped me improve. I have changed a lot from the "me" back then and for that I am proud. -
March
Personal + Global: The official beginning of the bane of our existence: Quarantine Connection to theme:
Perhaps the biggest obstacle the world has faced in a long time, and hopefully in a long time to come. Norms disappeared and remain so as we all try to battle the virus we know as COVID-19. -
April
Global: The Saudi Arabian coalition fighting rebels in Yemen declared a two-week ceasefire in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus. The countries have been in a five-year conflict. (CNN) Relates to theme:
Through the unexpected arrival of COVID-19, even countries involved in long-time conflicts have had to adapt and recognize the spontaneity of these events. -
April
Personal: The start of online school: navigating the world of online studying, and facing the struggles of social distancing that COVID threw us. This time also allowed me to take time for myself and not have to rush class to class for the first time since grade one. -
May
Personal: First time being at a festival in a long time but also my first time experiencing COVID-prevention methods first hand. -
May
Global: The death of George Floyd:
Albeit not unexpected, spurred an unexpectedly large response and restarted the fire of the longtime BLM movement. -
June
Personal: Best friend's birthday- celebrated by dropping off presents in the most social-distancing way possible Relating to themes:
- working our way around these obstacles while obeying necessary rules -
June
Global: At least 81 people died after a suspected Boko Haram attack in northeast Nigeria. The village was attacked by men in armoured tanks and trucks filled with guns. Along with the shooting, the militant group kidnapped 7 people from the village. (CNN) -
July
Global: South Korea faced an even greater division after the death of Seoul’s Mayor Park Won-soon. Seoul was left to fend in the absence of a leader. -
July
Personal: My piano exam- I practiced the actual heck out of piano this summer and despite having numerous technical difficulties submitting my program online, I managed it and also managed to do well in the online segment for the technique and the sight reading. I never thought that I would have to be doing my level nine practical online, however, since it has already happened, I had to adapt accordingly. -
August
Global: A giant explosion in Beirut, Lebanon killed 135 people and injured another 5000. Many people are still missing after the explosion, and over 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes. Once again, this event triggered following events due to the speculation that the blast may have been caused by stored ammonium nitrate. -
August
Personal: Went to Victoria for our first trip since December 2019 and consisted of mainly outdoor activities and a lot of time to relax and recharge before the buzz of September Takeaway: using the nature in BC to our advantage and participating in mainly outdoor activities due to the virus. -
September
Personal: School resumes in-person for the first time since early March. Norms are returning, however bringing with them many unforeseen inconveniences like a seemingly excessive number of hand-sanitizing stations. -
September
Global: Victoire Tomegah Dogbe was sworn in, becoming Togo’s first female prime minister. Though once again unexpected, this appointment is positive and is an unforeseen positive change to occur in the world. -
October
Personal: My birthday was on October 8th, and although I, five months ago, would have thought a celebration impossible, we managed to pull off a small party. All of the people present were people in my immediate friend group at school, therefore presenting not too much of a threat of contracting COVID. -
October
Global: Pro-democracy protests in Thailand entered their third night. Amidst the protests, two men were arrested for “attacking” Queen Suthida's motorcade. On October 14, the motorcade drove through protests, and many protesters held up the three-finger salute from the Hunger Games. Many of the protesters have also been chanting and jeering at police to highlight their rights. Sparked by the controversial death of George Floyd, people are now recognizing police brutality all around the world. -
November
Global:
Protests in Bangkok erupted after Thai officials moved to make two amendments to the constitution. Many protesters believe the country is becoming too militaristic, and they want less government power. Protesters are also fighting against the long-standing monarchy in Thailand. People fighting against the long upheld tradition of a monarchy by eventually following the lead of the rest of the world and protesting for more power for the citizens and less to the government. -
November
Personal: My school play performed virtually, and I got to experience first hand what it was like to be on set for a television show or movie. There were a lot of people helping us put together our performance in a COVID-19 safe manner and whilst following all protocols so thank you to all of them! -
December
Global:
The UK officially approved the Pfizer announcing that the vaccine is 95% effective in preventing the worst of coronavirus. This is perhaps one of the most long-awaited, yet sudden, and hopeful developments since the beginning of the pandemic. This change, I'm sure we're all hoping, will be for the better. -
December
Personal: On the night of the 26th, I attended my first concert, which just so happened to be a virtual one. Don't ask me why I didn't go to a live concert sooner, perhaps because I didn't truly treasure what we had until it was gone. Either way, I had fun, staying up way too late past my bedtime, or maybe you can say, not sleeping at all.
