My 2020 in Review, and What I’m Looking Forward to This Year

My 2020 in Review, and What I’m Looking Forward to This Year

If we are thinking of all the years in the last few decades, 2020 was probably the hardest, at least it was for me. So many things didn’t go as planned. It was like living in a never-ending limbo. 2021 has started, and I am still living in limbo, but I have things to look forward to. I think a lot of us feel the same way about this year. The new year has brought us hope and joy. This is how my year went and what I’m looking forward to this year. Let me know in the comments about how your 2020 went and the things that you’re looking forward to this year. 

The Start of 2020

The year began with me visiting Dublin, Ireland with my sister. That was in early January of 2020. My boyfriend was in India for work, so instead of me staying home alone for over a week, I took a vacation with my sister. I had never been to Ireland before. I loved Dublin and the view of Ireland from the plane. We were only there for a few days but it was a great trip to a wonderful city. We got to visit Trinity College and the Temple Bar, among other places. Although I didn’t see anything outside of the city of Dublin, I fell in love with the country and the people. I absolutely want to visit again.

Dublin, Ireland

A few days after my trip to Ireland, my dear friend from NYC came to visit me in Amsterdam. She had been to Amsterdam in past, but never to visit me. We walked around Amsterdam, checked out some of the sights, and ended the weekend checking out Kinderdijk. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site. I had so much fun with her. We laughed so hard. I’m so happy she came to visit me. I really miss her. 

Kinderdijk

The City That Never Sleeps

At the end of January, I went to NYC for work. January was quite the packed month for me. I would have never imagined in a million years that so much could change in a few short months. My friend and I went to a burlesque show. New York is all about having fun and living it up, and that we did. I may have been there for work, but I got to visit a bunch of my friends and tour the city like I never lived there before. I love going to New York. It is such a different world from my life now. I live in a tiny city. It is so nice to be in the hustle and bustle of things once in a while. 

Visiting Family & Exploring Canada

The month of February was pretty busy as well. My boyfriend Kevin and I flew to Seattle and met up with two of my sisters there. We went to visit my grandmother in Poulsbo and my aunt on Bainbridge Island. I hadn’t been to visit them in a really long time before that. We had a blast at Pike Place Market, going out for sushi and attending a drag show in Seattle. After our visit with them, Kevin and I drove 5 hours to the Sunshine Coast, in Canada. We stayed in the most romantic and cozy cabin on the waterfront in Sechelt. It is a place that I would absolutely visit again. If you’ve never been to Canada, you really need to go. We flew home and got back to regular life, working, going to Dutch class, and day to day tasks.

Kevin and I on Bainbridge Island, Washington

In March was when we really started hearing all the things about COVID-19 and how it was starting to affect everyone’s lives. But it hadn’t really affected our lives yet. I went to a specialist in March who gave me the diagnosis that I had been waiting for. I was on the list to be scheduled for foot surgery. I could have never guessed that it would take months before getting an operation date and that my surgery wouldn’t happen at all in 2020. Kevin and I spent a weekend in Paris visiting my sister and her boyfriend.

Lockdown Life

We got home from Paris, and the Netherlands shut down for the first time. It didn’t open again until June. I did get a call from the hospital in early June informing me that I was scheduled to have surgery in two weeks. My answer to him was absolutely not. I had been in quarantine for months and there was no way I was going to be bed bound for another three months. I just wanted a few weeks to go on vacation with Kevin and my sister in France. After I got home, I’d be open to having surgery. The hospital said that they’d call me back with a new date, possibly in a month or two. 

Kevin and I in the city of love, Paris, France

Little did I know that I would receive a call only months later. The surgery was scheduled for December 21st. Because of the pressure on healthcare and so many people having COVID, the hospital couldn’t schedule me until the end of 2020. I was upset that it took so long, but I understood there was nothing I could do. We went on vacation to France. Later in the year, we visited Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Then we went into lockdown again, and pretty much stayed in an on and off lockdown for the remainder of the year. 

The Loss of a Job

Meanwhile, my boyfriend started working from home since we got home from Paris in March. I also work from home, but always have since I moved here in December 2018. He worked from home until he was let go from his job at the end of August along with many other people in his company. He immediately found a new job but wouldn’t start until November. It was so nice to have him working from home and then being free for months. I really enjoyed all the quality time together. He’s been at his job for two months now and has been loving it. It’s so nice to see him so passionate about his job. 

Motorcycling, plane watching and ice cream. A perfect day.

I didn’t end up having surgery in December because I got a really bad cold. I was mostly recovered by my surgery date, but the hospital informed me that there was no way they’d do the surgery given my condition. My foot surgery has been rescheduled for January 21. I’m praying that it goes through and nothing gets in the way. The recovery will take months, and I’d rather be recovering in lockdown instead of when the world opens up hopefully mid-2021.

On the Bright Side of Things

Last year went nothing as I planned at all but some good did still happen. I still traveled, visited my family and friends, improved my Dutch, started this blog, spent time on what really matters, and saved more money than I have ever saved in my life. I’m really looking forward to having my surgery this month and getting through recovery. I’m ready to get that chapter over with and move on with my life. I hope that I’m able to travel around the world to visit my family and friends this coming summer, expand my blog, and experience new things.

Follow my adventures and say hello to me on my Instagram.

What is something good that happened in 2020 and what are you looking forward to in 2021?

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