Today I’ll be reflecting on 2020 here on the blog even though we are well into January. 2020 was a rough year for all of us granted we’ve literally been living through a global pandemic. I wanted to share the ups and downs of my year because I think it is important to reflect and learn from both the good and the bad in our lives. Let’s get into it!

College

Going to school during a pandemic brought such unexpected challenges like switching to online school. I can remember the last day I was at my university before the shutdown. That day in March feels like a lifetime ago. It was a difficult adjustment to begin online school and complete hours of Zoom classes each day. By the fall semester, I actually adjusted to it quite well and got my first set of straight A’s since middle school lol!

I declared my major in 2019, but this past year really helped me narrow down what I wanted to study during my remaining time in college. I declared a journalism major in 2019 and I’m excited that I narrowed it down to specialize in public relations within the journalism school. 

For my journalism major, I am also required to have a minor. After the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer, I was inspired to take an African American History class. This class truly changed my life and perspective on America. I learned how white washed my grade school classes were. 

After taking this class, I decided I’m going to declare an ethnic studies minor! For my ethnic studies minor, I will be taking classes on racism, racial inequity, and ethnicity classes. I can take classes about Latinx (definitely going to take these since I’m Latina!), Asian, African, and Native American culture!

Moving in with my Boyfriend

After the pandemic hit in March, I decided to “temporarily” live with my boyfriend because my parents are in their 60’s. I didn’t want to expose them more than I had to since my boyfriend was still working at a restaurant. I honestly thought moving in would be temporary, but we get along so well together that it just stuck! 

We celebrated our three year anniversary this year by visiting Point Reyes and San Francisco back in October. I am so lucky to have such an amazing partner in my life who has been by my side through this crazy year. Since I moved in, we’ve been making lots of improvements to the apartment like starting a garden (Cullen) and decorating the interior (me). I’m honestly shocked that within two months time, we’ll have been living together for a year.

Quitting Jobs

I quit my very first job in March pre-pandemic. I’d been tutoring kids for 3 years even though I didn’t like it. I’d grown really tired of that job since I’ve never been a kid person. I also quit Ulta in October after working there for a year and half due to job dissatisfaction and health concerns considering the pandemic. I’m so happy that I was able to advocate for myself and leave jobs I was really unhappy at! I’m currently working at a small locally owned business. I really love my job there and I’m so happy I was brave enough to leave Ulta.

Loss

A few days after Thanksgiving, my grandpa passed away. He was my last living grandparent and he died very unexpectedly (not from COVID). While he lived close by, we only saw him a few times in 2020 because we didn’t want to accidentally pass him the virus. There was no way we could’ve known he would die after Thanksgiving, but part of me wishes we could have had one last Thanksgiving together.

After his passing, we had a small service in his church. We decided to only have a gathering of 10 people and the service was also live streamed to family who couldn’t attend. While I sat through the service with my mask on, I felt so overwhelmed by how much has changed both in my personal life and in the world. It’s easy to forget how different the world is when we’re mostly at home in our pj’s, but it felt overwhelming sitting in that church because I was forced to look at the changes. Processing the grief and changes I’ve been through this year is one of the reasons I believe reflecting on 2020 is so important for all of us.

Since my grandpa’s passing, I’ve been feeling pretty depressed. It just felt like too much. It was my last straw of 2020. His death also made me really miss my Nana who passed away 2 years ago. I miss them both a lot.

21

A happy way to end the year was with my birthday! I turned 21 on Christmas Day. I spent the day relaxing with my parents and boyfriend. It was exactly the day I needed after having an intense month in December. I was excited to turn 21, but also ready to be done with Christmas. I know that every day that passes will get me closer to seeing my sister and brother-in-law again. We haven’t been able to see them since August due to the pandemic.

My mom always asks me if I feel different after my birthday. Usually I don’t, but honestly 21 feels different! I was so excited to buy a bottle of wine for Cullen and I the day after my birthday! I’m not a huge drinker, but it feels empowering that I can buy fancy alcohol for myself lol! 

The world will take a long time to heal from 2020, but I hope this year will be better for all of us <3 I love all these pictures Cullen and I took in 2020, but this is just a reminder that my best and worst moments of the year are not photographed. I hope you enjoyed this post reflecting on 2020. I think reflecting on 2020 is so important for all of us because last year was so morbid. I also hope you’re all hanging in there so far in 2021. Thank you for supporting me and reading my blog. It means the world to me and I’m grateful for you! Cheers to 2021!