Now that 2020 is coming to an end, it has come to me that the year has been bittersweet. I could not be any happier for 2020 to end, as it has been one of the worst years of my life, but also sad because a whole year went down the drain. It is just a realization that I’m another year closer to growing old.

Looking back, everything is a blur from 2020. The most I can remember from the start of the year is me hoping that 2020 would be the greatest year, how ironic. One vivid thing that I can remember specifically at the beginning of the year was me in Journalism class writing about the deadly wildfires that were going on in Australia. I just remember being extremely sad for all the animals that died because of it. It was not the best start of 2020, but I did still had hope that the year could get better.  

Then not that far into the school year, Corona unfortunately hit the United States. I had mixed emotions/feelings about everything that happened: the president, school year, virtual learning, sports. I did not realize that my life would change so fast and be so different. When the virus began to spread amongst the U.S, I did have the basic idea that this was not just any ordinary virus that can be easily gotten rid of.

I distinctly remember comparing the virus to the bubonic plague and that history is starting to repeat itself. There is an estimate of seventy-five to two hundred million deaths caused by the bubonic plague, while there were sixty-nine point one cases COVID-19 cases. Though many people recovered from the Coronavirus, if we didn’t have the resources that we had today, the numbers would be much closer. However, I did not find quarantine as bad as others did. Staying in the house 24/7 is basically my life, so there was not any change there.

Another thing that I can remember was the quick end of my track season Sophomore year. I only went to a few practice meets, but the end of that season was also bittersweet. As the virus began to spread more and more and school was now virtual, we continued to have practices just in case we do have a region or state meet. Unfortunately, we did not, and I spent most of my extra time dying in the hot sun, on a track.

One good thing that came out of the year was when I finally finished Honors Chemistry, one of the hardest classes I had ever taken in my life. When it was announced that I was taking my last test, at that moment, I was jumping with excitement and holding back my tears of joy. I have never disliked and been so confused on a subject like Chemistry. 

But this year, I am not going to wish for 2021 to be a good year. Each time I say it, I always seem to jinx myself where the year does not come out as planned. Though any year can be better than the year 2020, let’s all hope that this nightmare we are all in ends eventually!