A Year in Reflection: Goodbye 2020!

Last Updated on 31 Jan, 2021

It’s time for a reflection of my year, and a chance to say goodbye to 2020! I originally wasn’t going to do this (because who wants to actually reflect on this year?!) but it was a nice chance to appreciate all the good that happened. So, here’s what happened month by month!

January

The year began celebrating New Year’s Eve in London with a small group of friends, in some bar in Clapham with bad music and 2-for-1 offers on cocktails. I woke up on New Year’s Day having had very little sleep and travelled back home tired and hungover. Everything about it was great.

January was Veganuary, and Richard and I tried the new Greggs vegan steak bake! Food was obviously a big part of my year, as it is every year, and 2020 was no different in this respect (a comforting piece of consistency in my life). We also tried the new vegan KFC burger, which I wasn’t super impressed by, and haven’t had since. I was thrilled that more places were offering vegan options, though.

In terms of work, I left my job working in Paediatric A&E and started a new job as a Paediatric Clinical Research Nurse! I started doing clinical trials in the children’s Emergency Department, and started my commute to and from London every day, whilst living at home and saving money to go travelling. I fell in love with working in London (and the fact Greggs was a 5 minute walk from my work).

At the end of January, me and Richard went to Amsterdam to celebrate his 28th Birthday. We stayed on a little houseboat and it was perfect. It was so nice seeing the ducks floating past our window every morning. We also ate some GREAT food that trip and saw lots and lots of art.

February

The 1st of February started with a continuation of celebrating Richard’s birthday, as I had organised a surprise birthday for him with all of his friends in London (little did I know at the time that it was going to be one of the few times I drank in a bar all year!).

On Valentine’s Day, Richard and I went for a meal in a local vegan restaurant and we ate delicious food and remained pretty oblivious to what was about to happen (remember everyone was just comparing COVID-19 to flu at the time?). And then, everything kicked off.

March

In March, I managed to go to London for the day with Richard and friends to go to art galleries on the 7th, and it was to be one of the last days for a long while of actually going out to do proper stuff. Lockdown happened and everything quickly changed at work. All my A&E research studies at the time were paused, and I was put on a COVID-19 research study instead. I would walk through central London on the way to work and it was eerily, frighteningly empty. And thus began the zoom calls and the zoom quizzes. At first, I felt jealous of people who had been furloughed, paid to sit at home, or people who were able to work from home as it was not an option for me, but I soon became grateful that work continued and I was allowed to leave the house every day.

April

All I remember from April is COVID-19 and beautiful weather. I spent 2 weeks at home having to isolate as my mum had a temperature and cough, and I spent every day that week waking up at 8am (2 hours later than what I was used to), starting the day with meditation and yoga, working from home while sat in the sunshine in my garden and eating vegan Magnum ice creams. Mum was fine, thankfully, and I know it’s very bizarre that I look back at that time in quiet appreciation, but I was grateful to have 2 weeks away from the hospital, still working, but without the fear of catching COVID from commuting or being outside of my home. I think it all stemmed from the weather being so nice and being privileged enough to have a garden. I remember there was an undercurrent of anxiety the whole time, that stemmed from being away from the hospital and feeling like I was not able to do enough, and not able to carry out everything for the research I was working. Little did I know that the pandemic was not to be a sprint, but a marathon.

May

On May the 3rd I turned 26, and it was spend indoors (obviously) over Zoom, instead of going to Berlin, which is what I had planned the year before. What else is there to say? I ate a lot of banana bread. Me and Richard used House Party a lot. Walking in nature became my #1 hobby. I ate a lot of pasta.

June

Social bubbles in the UK were introduced! Richard lives alone and so we became bubbled, and went on more – you guessed it – walks in nature. And picnics. The weather was actually great this summer.

At work, I was doing more paediatric COVID trials, which turned out to become my main area of research (unsurprisingly).

July

July was literally more of the same. More nature and good weather and picnics. Except I started painting with acrylics, which was fun!

August

More lovely weather. More walks in nature. More picnics! More painting! And me and Richard were doing Couch 2 5k together and I was constantly dying after every run.

Something exciting in August though was Carry on Kelmarsh – a socially distanced camping event that was almost like a festival although not at all like one, but it was my one ‘holiday’ of the year and was a great weekend! I didn’t feel like it was a responsible idea to actually leave the country, and camping is great, although I reallllly missed actual festivals.

I was also able to go and see more friends in person this month! A true highlight of the year. And me and Richard even had a weekend away in Bristol, which is one of my favourite places.

September

Summer started to end, but slowly. The weather was still really nice at times but, having worked in hospitals during winter before, the foreboding of a difficult winter ahead began. I started to try and buy gym equipment online as I guessed there would be another wave and gyms would shut again, and so I managed (after spending a while searching) to buy a barbell and squat rack online… which I am yet to properly use haha, but I will come January!

I also did even more art this month! Plus… walks in nature!

October

Things started to go back to how they were before – staying in more and long walks in nature, but with the added benefit of pretty autumnal colours. Me and Richard also managed a little day trip to London and saw where Paddington was filmed (the bar for excitement by this point in the year had gotten pretty low!).

November

It was no longer legal to see friends outside of your household or bubble in the UK at this point, and work definitely got busier recruiting more children to COVID-19 clinical trials. Life was work all week, and seeing Richard at weekends.

December

There was some brief reprieve at the beginning of December, and I had some time off work to get Christmas presents sorted, and actually went out to eat once in a pub with Richard before we were placed in Tier 3, and then shortly after Tier 4. I actually had a lovely Christmas, all things considered, and now here we are – at the end of 2020.

Wow. What a year it’s been. I think I’m going to go quietly into 2021, without making much noise or fanfare, and continue working until hopefully there’s a bit more positivity come spring! It will be SO nice to be in a better position come Easter time. I’m so grateful to see the end of this year, both because it’s ending, and the fact I’m around to see it go.

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