November 13th is my birthday, December 13th is our anniversary. I like this number, I always have. I hope we can celebrate accordingly sometime soon.
California has a stay-at-home order, Germany will go into a hard lockdown starting Wednesday. It is yet again a very difficult time but I can’t wait to see my daughter. I have not seen her in almost four months. It’s been a sacrifice but it was definitely worth it. She has really enjoyed going to school in Cologne. She’s made new friends and has made a lot of new and special experiences. I’m grateful for that. One of the positive things in 2020.
My happy memory is from December 13th, 2014. These are our girls in front of two pieces of the Berlin Wall in Mountain View. It was the day of GISSV’s Holiday Market. One of the things I hope can happen again next year.
I missed opening the last two doors of my Advent Calendar. Behind today’s door, you’ll find 13 more positive things that happened in 2020.
- “Tiger King” somehow connected us.
- Toilet paper has become valuable goods and we’re using it more consciously.
- Puzzles and board games became cool again and offered a much-needed break from our screens.
- People all around the world rushed to adopt and foster pets in need amid the pandemic.
- We learned that homeschooling is hard and finally recognized teachers for the heroes that they are.
- We never walked as much as we did in 2020.
- We came up with creative ways to celebrate big milestones like drive-by birthdays and Zoom parties.
- Major companies pooled resources or shifted production to make millions of masks and ventilators to help keep people safe.
- Drive-in movie theaters made a comeback.
- Sure, we might have gained a little weight, but we rediscovered our love for old hobbies like baking and gardening.
- Health care workers and all the other essential workers are heroes.
- “Entschleunigung”. The German word for “slowing down”. Many people I know actually enjoy their less busy lives.
- Joe Biden is going to be the next president of the United States and Kamala Harris will be the first female VP.
