Glad You Called 6: A 2020 Experience
I am writing this on the eve of December 25th, 2020. I am healthy, together with my family, the food from the Christmas feast still trying to settle in my stomach, and even more treats are yet to be devoured. Everything seems so calm and normal that I could almost forget what a year 2020 has really been.
I already wrote about the roller-coaster year, that was back in October and it was a recap of my 2019–2020 academic year (see Glad You Called 5). But I thought that the 2020 experience was such an important one, that only a separate blog piece would do it justice, or at least can try to do so. What’s more, a friend of mine wrote to me after I posted that article in October and told me that it was a nicely written piece. “But how exactly did you get to know yourself better? I want to know more” he wrote. And it got me thinking…
My 2020 began with a bang: fireworks, champagne, friends, good times. It was a smooth start. However, to be honest, the rest of January was quite tough. It was the first January filled with exams for me, ever. I couldn’t even celebrate my birthday properly. But I found out, during the intense Lernphase, that I cannot live out of the library for 3 weeks anymore (which was the case before). I needed to chill in-between, to see people in a social setting. I might even enjoy a beer, or two, or more, during those weeks. I’ve learned that, as I grew older, balance has become even more crucial for my being.
After exams were over, it was quickly time to fly to Kenya for a social project which my team and I had been planning and working on for the previous 6 months. Sadly, the two-week experience in rural Kenya cannot be captured by a single paragraph or even by a whole blog piece. To describe it briefly, it was a clash with the unknown in every aspect: unknown country and its culture, unknown everyday situations, unknown expectations and outcomes… Kenya, its people, and the children at the orphanage we supported, had an immense impact on me as well as on my understanding of the word “impact”. The Kenya experience was another reminder of what is truly important in life. It was a masterclass in teamwork. It was a vivid example of how relative happiness is. It was a reason to cry and a reason to smile at the same time. Only people who have gone through the same could understand these last couple of lines. To everyone else, I encourage you to embark on a similar journey and I am happy to talk personally with anyone who might be interested in more details about my experience.
Once I was back from Kenya, a pandemic took over the world and everyone’s lives. Before 2020, it was unthinkable to most of us that a virus could basically force our lives to an almost complete halt; that the open borders of Europe would suddenly close; that a walk in the park nearby would be illegal; that we wouldn’t be able to see close friends and even family for months; that we might not be together for Christmas… March, April and May were largely introspective. I was learning what drives me and what does not, what makes family time so special for me, and what makes every other aspect of life seems irrelevant. Expect for the last one — “health” — the answers which I found for myself should not really matter for you. What I hope is that you have also managed to reflect on those for yourselves and have managed to understand yourselves better while at it.
June, July and August were all Berlin for me. Berlin, Berlin, Berlin. If you have met me after the summer of 2020, you have most probably heard me going on and on about my time in Berlin. Yes, I’m talking about Berlin with a restricted nightlife. There, I learned about friendship. I got to know a best friend of mine closely (although Prague also had its fair share in that). I opened up to people and they opened up to me. I also got to know about feelings and affection. I saw much more clearly what I am looking for in a person and what puts me off. I found out what feeling is right for me and what can feel wrong. Also, I discovered that a large city could have many faces and each “face” could have different elements which appeal to you, and others that don’t. I learned that I would enjoy living in a place with diverse sides, where I can explore a different aspect every time I go out of my house. What a summer it was… and how lucky we (you know who you are) were, to be able to have that experience during corona times!
If you asked me a year ago, I would have properly started raging if you told me that, during my last semester as a student, I would step only twice into a lecture room and twice into a large student house party. But that was the reality. September through November, my life was about squeezing every possible experience out of my last months at uni. It was about having new types of conversations with some people I had never had proper talks with before. It was about doing courses that went beyond and outside of my business studies (and what a delight those courses were!). I learned that I am a social animal, hands down. I thrive in social situations, surrounded by people, noise, laughs and energy. What I also discovered is that I thoroughly enjoy writing papers and essays on complex topics which have almost nothing to do with management and business. Such refreshing academic experience! Corona restrictions might have tried to take that social aspect away from me but not for too long, I hope.
November and December were about (re)falling in love with my student town. Honestly, after the eye-opening months in Berlin, I was not too excited about going back to the small place where little happens. But throughout the semester, and especially in November and December, I was rediscovering this small place and re-embracing its atmosphere. Strangely enough, I accomplished this not through exploring a bunch of new sport or hidden sites, although there were a few along the way. The rediscovery was possible thanks to looking at the town, and my being there, with “new” eyes. It can additionally be attributed to some special people who made the experience all the more enjoyable (and I’ll always be thankful for that). So, I learned that the vibe and the memories of a place are closely attached to the people you spent time with. At the same time, a town and a city have their own energy too — feelings and meanings which you attach to them. This reflection makes me feel like there should be a whole separate blog devoted to it. Anyway, I am going out of line…
As always, I sincerely hope my 2020 account gives you some food for thought. You can already notice that I have focused largely on the positive lessons which I have learned from my 2020 experience. But trust me, this does not mean that these reflections came easily. The year surely had its tough moments and each one of us knows how they have learned from those and grown. To me, this past year has remained a roller-coaster to its last days, with its ups and downs, ups and downs…
It does feel good, though, to finish on a positive note. What was your 2020 like? Reflect, share your thoughts about it, or keep it close to yourself. Either way, hope you’re doing well.
Yours truly,
Glad You Called
