Sitting at home in my Christmas socks, I've got just enough time to squeeze in a year-end review for 2020, as if any of us will be able to forget. Nevertheless...
It actually started off really well - at a cabin in the woods with a great group of friends. In February I spontaneously ran off to Armenia for a few days, where I had time to tour the capital, Yerevan, and see the mountains and lakes of some nearby regions. One particularly amazing site was a monastery carved into the mountains and surrounded by cliffs.
But then March came and things changed fast. I spent my 30th birthday alone in my kitchen eating cake on a zoom call. My new roommate and I started working from home and ventured out for groceries as if going into battle. The floor was lava and the air was poison.
So I started brushing back up on my Spanish. I took 7 online courses on different aspects of my profession - teaching online, teaching children, assessment, IELTS, TOEFL, and a few others. All voluntary, most helpful, some even fun.
There were still some adventures. In August, one of my good friends visited Moscow. Later that month, my coworker, Irina, and I wound up at a summer camp in Kaluga Oblast for kids from regions of the Russian Arctic and Far East.
For 2 weeks we lived in a yurt and worked off wifi in the woods. We walked around the ethnographic, educational-recreational complex Etnomir rowing boats, going on museum tours, watching fire shows and shamen, and taking lots of pictures. In October, we continued adventuring - this time to Russian soccer games, courtesy of our company's work teaching English to referees.
By Thanksgiving the cooking and online shopping phases everyone went through in the spring finally hit me, and I stocked up on things for my home office (and sweatpants, the newest work attire).
Of all the challenges this year has brought, from changing the way we work and socialize to the constant "Am I dying from covid?" scares, the toughest has been not knowing when I can visit home. My June flight was predictably cancelled, but even now I'm a bit stuck; if I leave Russia, I can't re-enter, as their borders are still closed to US citizens. So for now I write, call, and wait.
It wasn't all bad, though. I'm thankful for my friendships, family, and work. I'm glad I had time to learn and relax (so much Netflix). I'm relieved that Trump is 20 days away from being out of the White House. And I'm proud of a few milestones: kickboxing for 2 years, vegan for 2.5, and in Russia for EIGHT YEARS.
Everything got turned on its head in 2020. So here's to looking forward, crossing our fingers, and getting this thing over with!
