2020

2020 was weird

2020 was an ummmm unusual year to say the least. It’s the first year in some time that I haven’t left the country. I’ve only traveled more than 250 miles from my home one time [and that was pre-corona-v]. A global pandemic continues to ravage the world with only some people believing its real. [spoiler alert: it’s real] And for the first time, I tried a no-spend month challenge and failed miserably by buying a new car. So clearly the portal to another dimension is still open.

                                          An old-fashioned pandemic to celebrate the ‘year of the nurse.’
Corona V

In late 2019, a seemingly random virus jumped yet again from birds to humans. This has happened before–even recently– with SARS, MERS, bird flu, ect, and while dangerous, none of these were globally devastating. In late February, while in DC, my friend and I visited one of the best, most authentic Chinese restaurants in the city. [I was reunited with the magical green beans that I discovered in the authentic Chinese restaurant in Rwanda of all places]. My friend Taylor remarked that normal Friday nights always result in a wait for a table. I mused that our reason for being able to waltz right in was this new “Wuhan virus”, and people boycotting all things Chinese.

                                                                          All the heavenly foods
The Spring

Fast forward a mere three weeks later and the virus now known as Coronavirus, Covid-19, corona, ‘the rona’, or the official name SARS CO-V 2, arrived to the US in numbers large enough to cause ‘lockdown phase 1’. To be honest, lockdown did not affect me too much. As an ‘essential health care worker’, I still had to go to work each shift; as a non-parent, the sudden switch to e-learning did not affect me other than my own grad school program transitioning to fully on-line. In-person dining in restaurants ceased, but I rarely ate out and takeaway was still available. Grocery stores also remained open as did home improvement stores. Other than one canceled trip to Knoxville and my local YMCA closing, my spring was the exact same minus Corona-V popping up.

                                     My official travel papers had my driving around just as I did pre-lockdown.

At first, the governor closed schools until March 31, the April 15, then April 30, then finally for the entire school year. People protested the cancelation of proms, spring sports, and in-person graduations (all to be fair, our state’s largest school district STILL had in person graduation). I started some small projects around the house and lovingly called them quarantine projects. I lost count after #5, but think I’m up to 8 or 9 [and still going].

                                                                    Quarantine Projects
The Summer

By summer, many people were thinking corona-v was on her way out. Non-essential stores had re-opened, restaurants and bars could serve in person again, and some people were back in their offices. And that’s when corona-v showed up on my doorstep. Obviously, I didn’t die, but I was as sick as I ever remember being. I had high fevers [>103], difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, and a distinct lack of appetite, ect. It was touch and go for about two weeks, and I’m still not at pre-corona-v fitness levels.

I planned a socially-distanced vacation with my decidedly non-socially distancing parents and it was— definitely different. It’s very weird to see generational difference play out before ones very eyes. I’m grateful it was to a small beach town instead of say Charleston or Myrtle Beach.

                                                          Socially distant swings on Tybee Beach

Also more drama concerning schools re-opening, virtually, partially, not at all, full-time, or some variation of all. All I can say is I’m glad I’m not a parent or teacher.

The Fall

Elections happened as they do every other year on the first Tuesday in November, yet even on December 1 we are still talking about it since the out-going president refuses to believe the results. As a result of said elections, I’ve promised to stop avoiding Atlanta like the plague and eschew Charleston for Savannah (not overly difficult as Charleston and I have a complicated relationship).

Corona-V is kicking up her heels again and overwhelming my friends in medicine despite Moderna, Pfizer, and Astra-Zenica all making [at this point] extremely competent vaccines. As a health care worker, I’ll probably be in the first batch of people to receive and since I’ve been vaccinated against nearly everything under the sun, and haven’t turned to Frankenstein yet, I’ll most likely sign up to be injected.

                                                                              Vaccinated.

When future historians write the chapter about 2020, it will definitely be one of the more unbelievable 10 months in history.

Ok. hear me out. I heard this song exactly once and I about died laughing. If it isn’t an exact musical representation of 2020, idk what is… here’s low-key fuck 2020 by Avenue Beat

 

Medical Separation and Worldwide Evacuation

If we are being honest I was simultaneously bummed and relieved to be medically separated from the Peace Corps. Bummed because I came to do a job and despite all the issues at site, quitting was never an option. Relieved because medical separation gave me an ‘out. Physicians and Physiotherapists in Kigali couldn’t get me squared away and neither could the ones in South Africa. They recommended surgery but couldn’t say exactly what they would operate on or the desired outcome. So off to PC Med Hold in DC. So imagine my surprise when DC surgeons said ‘you should have come a year ago.. I don’t think there is much to be done at this point and if we evacuate the lesion, you’ll have a depressed area of your leg.’ Cue anger, rage, and disbelief on my part. 

Med hold made me cranky

At this point I was given the option to do nothing and go back to Rwanda and finish service (another 6 months), have surgery in DC and be medically separated since recovery would take about 3-6 months, be medically separated and have surgery in my own community (or do nothing in my own community). Either way, PC would pay for a consult with orthopedic surgeon. 

What’s a girl to do?

Medical separation it is. While I’m bummed I didn’t leave on my terms or with my things (I made a iist of what I wanted from my house and it was gathered and shipped), it was the right decision. I wasn’t overly close to anyone in my community or to anyone in my remaining cohort [currently at more than 50% of volunteers have left for myriad of reasons]. So with more of a whimper than a bang my PC service ended January 7, 2020.

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Birthdays = Road Trips

Birthday 2020 [aka February] had me visiting my PC bestie in Washington, DC and exploring one new state/location– Rehoboth Beach, DE. I was able to wrap up any remaining PC tasks and also process it with other PCVs [PC Bestie also med sepped] because no one outside the Peace Corps can understand life inside the Peace Corps.

After my time in DC, I indulged in my favorite pastime of visiting beaches in winter. I like visiting beaches in summer too, but there’s something special about seeing them without all the crowds of people or worry about my skin melting in 100 degree heat. Then I chased horses on Chincoteague and Assoteague Islands in Maryland and Virginia. I visited my cousin in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and fiinished up my somewhat unplanned road trip by cruising all the way down the Outer Banks, North Carolina. I returned home late in the evening March 12. With an IKEA trip planned for the morning, I barely had time to catch a few zzzzzz’s before heading out to design my new kitchen. Little did I know that the world would shut down a mere hours later and Peace Corps Worldwide operations would pivot to evacuating the current 7000+ worldwide volunteers..

Worldwide PC Evacuations

Especially knowing that NO ONE in my cohort was able to finish service. I’m glad I got to leave when I did. Scrambling from being on HOLD FAST to catch a charter flight in Kigali was less than idea;. The flight that eventually went to Kigali–>Kampala–>Nairobi–>Addis Abba–> New York picking up stranded volunteers at each location. [Europe had closed its airspace by the time PC Africa sprung into action]. I honestly cannot imagine the stress level of the evacuated volunteers. At every cohort meeting, we joked that we were one day closer to being evacuated due to Ebola. No one could have guessed a full GROUNDSTOP of all PC operations.

What’s next for me? Well, I’m working as a psych RN. and I was accepted to graduate school starting in May. I made it out of IKEA with enough supplies to build a closet. So there are two things that will keep me occupied in the next few days. I returned to the same house and same job as pre-PC. Sometimes is seems the whole thing was nothing but a dream,.

“Have a good journey” Adios in one of Rwanda’s 4 official languages