2020 started off with a blast – literally! The school announced an evacuation after a bomb threat was found in the first few weeks of January. No students were harmed and everything was safe, but it surely gave us a sample of what was to come.

Australia was on fire in January, although I’m sure no one remembers that after the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States in March, triggering a quarantine that lasted until sometime in the summer – although it’s hard to remember the exact day it ended, as it went on and off for a while. Quarantine allowed us to spend some quality time with our family, binge watch shows like Tiger King and The Mandalorian, and go on many walks with our pets any chance we got. 

There were many other events that occurred in 2020, such as the Black Lives Matter protests and the election of the now President Biden. There was the mask mandate, and by the beginning of 2021, more than three million people died in the United States, the deadliest year for the history of the country. Many of those deaths were COVID-19 related. 

2020 was different for everyone, but we all shared anger, sadness, and of course, happiness. Now that we’re in 2021, let’s hope that it’ll at least be better than 2020, although that’s setting a low bar. 2020 is now behind us, and it’s time we begin a new chapter of our lives.