Amidst the terrible state of this country and much of the world, through constantly reeling from tragedy to tragedy, seeing one infuriating injustice after another, I forgot to take a moment and look back at this past year. To say 2020, on a global and national scale, was an insane and difficult year would be a gross understatement. A pandemic ravaged countries and cities, ruthlessly tearing apart families and destroying lives, and continues to do so. Inspiring, peaceful protests against mass injustices towards the black community erupted around the world, bringing with them violent attempts to silence the fight for equality, while people fighting for the ability to get a haircut were allowed to run free in state capitals carrying guns with little consequences. Racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Islam, and xenophobic worldviews were bolstered and protected by a government who is supposed to serve all of the people. Adults and children alike were drowned in fear and forced to the streets as the balances of their government aid aid fell to zero with no replacement in sight. Simultaneously, others worsened the pandemic which caused the need for this aid by refusing to protect their fellow Americans through wearing masks and abiding by stay at home orders. Baseless claims of fraud after the election of democratic candidates Joe Biden and the first black woman Vice President of the US, Kamala Harris, led to greater division and violence in our already crumbling country. However, we all watched these tragedies unfold together, so past this non-exhaustive list, I need not continue to remind you of them here.
Instead, I can share with you my own year. Even through everything, I cannot deny the wonderful things that happened in my own life. So, while I know this past year was the worst in many's lives for so many different reasons, I hope to share some light today and give you something positive to read on your timeline. Here is my 2020, in words and pictures. I hope it makes you smile.
2020 began for me with my 20th birthday, which was smack dab in the middle of my wisdom tooth surgery recovery.
Sipping on meal shakes with bruising spreading across my face, I packed for my semester abroad. If you know me, then you know traveling is my greatest passion and going to Europe had been a dream of mine since I was old enough to know what it was. Excitement coursed through me as I prepared for the semester ahead, knowing my dreams were beginning to come true.
On January 11th, I headed to Boston to meet up with my boyfriend, August. The next night, after some delicious food, we boarded a flight to the UK. We were leaving a week earlier than the rest of our group so that we could spend some time in London before the semester started.
In London, not only were we terrorized by a mouse (see this post for that story), but we also...
~Rode horses through Hyde Park
~Saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (where we were moved to orchestra seats from the nosebleeds... for FREE! It pays to be short)
~Saw the sets of Harry Potter at the HP Studio Tours
~Explored the Science and Natural History Museums
~Toured the National Theatre and Shakespeare's Globe
~Saw the British Parliament building, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Saint Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London (and the Crown Jewels!), and Tower Bridge
~Had afternoon tea
~Went to the top of the Shard at sunset
~And ate amazing food, including so. many. full English breakfasts
After that week in London, we were off to Germany to meet up with our group. We were spending our semester studying in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany. There, I learned to speak basic German by taking classes, visiting local cafes (a couple of which knew my order - hot chocolate with a shot of Bailey's - and began to prepare it when I walked in), and my all time favorite: going to the farmer's market. Every week I went and bought milk, cheese, berries, bread, and the like for my daily lunches. I also took two other courses: International Studies and Penology and Social Control. The former discussed the political and social processes of Germany and the EU. The latter discussed forms of social control (we looked at the issue of Mass Incarceration in America, the Holocaust, the European and Salem witch trials, etc.). For that course, we visited a concentration camp, a German police house, a prison, a courthouse, and historical sites that were related to the European witch hunts. In Wittenberg, we also studied where Martin Luther taught, toured his home, and lived next to the church where he nailed his 95 Theses. There was also a free zoo where we could pet goats a short walk from the Colleg, our dorm (I mean, come on! What's not to love?). For one week, we also had the chance to live with a host family. Mine was a wonderful single mother and two brothers with a couple of ADORABLE cats. We played Monopoly and watched Stranger Things, both in German.
Below are photos of Wittenberg, including a photo of the very church where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses, the city Church, and one of the entire group at the police station.
During the rest of our semester, August and I took weekend trips with the group throughout Germany and trips by ourselves to four other countries.
The first weekend excursion was a day trip with our school group to Leipzig, Germany. There, we took a tour, went to a GDR museum, explored the city, and August and I spent our free time walking through the Stazi museum (the Stazi were the GDR secret police... watch the movie "The Lives of Others," you won't regret it!). We also went and ate some delicious food at the local fair.
The next weekend, we took a train to Prague, Czech Republic and spent the weekend in one of my favorite cities in the world. Our AirBnb was incredible and the spirit and sights of Prague were amazing. There, we got breakfast at the farmer's market and then strolled along Charles Bridge where we watched performers and looked at art. We then made our way up the cobblestone streets to St. Nicholas Church and Prague Castle. That weekend we also went the Prague science museum, saw the Prague astronomical clock, and walked the John Lennon wall.
The next weekend we took another trip with our school group to Bamberg and Nuremberg, Germany. In Bamberg, we saw a 1,000 year old church, a famous Rose Garden (although the roses were gone...) and countless historical sites on a city wide “witch tour.” Then, we were off to Nuremberg where we stayed in a hostel next to a castle on the top of the world's steepest and tallest hill (not really, but it sure felt like it). In Nuremberg, we got to see a Holocaust museum and visit the courtroom where the Nuremberg Trials, at which the allied nations put on trial the top people in the Nazi regime (Hitler would have been tried there were he alive), took place. Then, August and I adventured to the Albrecht Dürer Haus to see where the famous artist lived, and explored the Nuremberg Castle where we saw one of the deepest wells in Europe. I also tried one of the best meals I have ever eaten: Drei im Weggla. This is literally just three sausages in a roll but I am telling you, it is so freaking good.
The next weekend trip brought our group to Berlin. Here, we visited the German Reichstag, their parliament building. At the Reichstag, our group met Sepp Müller, a member of German Parliament, and saw a traveling exhibit that showcased paintings of the Holocaust. Later, we took a "crime tour" around the city and learned of the famous Berlinale International Film Festival occurring that weekend. That night, August and I literally stumbled upon a red carpet for that very festival. We ended up staying for a bit and saw Johnny Depp! That weekend, we also saw a live German Cabaret, drank warm Glühwein, got to pretend to be spies at the Spy museum, and saw the Brandenburg Gate.
Berlin was also a place to revisit the past by walking along the Berlin Wall, seeing the art, and learning about the struggles in Berlin after the Second World War. At one point, we also did a Virtual Reality experience that took us back in time to East and West Berlin. Even more powerful, however, was our trip to a neighboring town to visit the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. I won't say much here about this part of my trip, because I don't feel it would be respectful, but it was one of the most powerful places I have ever been.
Our next weekend trip was unknowingly our last. We jetted off to Amsterdam for the two days. There, we went to the Van Gogh Museum, Vondel Park, The Anne Frank Haus, and strolled along the canals. We also took a free walking tour where we walked through the city and their Red Light District.
In Amsterdam we met a refugee who had fled from Syria to the city. As he drove the Uber to our hotel, he told us how when he arrived there he was given beautiful free housing from the government, free classes for professional development, and €20,000 to start his own business, which they did not return to collect. He told us that the Dutch were the friendliest and happiest people we would meet, and he was right.
Our very last trip was for spring break. At this point, COVID-19 was spreading and our trips to Italy and Ireland were cancelled, but not our semester abroad. At that time, we thought the virus only affected older adults and that wearing masks was not good. We were told to just wash our hands and use hand sanitizer. So, armed with the only bottle of GermX we could find, we flew to Barcelona, Spain. In Barcelona, we spent some time on the beach drinking Piña Coladas, went to Park Güell (where I would happily live out the rest of my days), toured Gaudí's house, saw la Sagrada Família, and ate way too much paella while drinking delicious sangria. We also had a picnic at one of the beautiful parks in the city.
From Barcelona, we flew to Seville, Spain for a day. August suggested we go after he went on a trip there in his junior year of high school. As we boarded the plane in Barcelona, however, August realized he had said the name of the wrong city. The town he was thinking of was actually called Segovia. So, there we were, boarding a plane to a city we knew nothing about. Luckily, Seville turned out to be an amazingly charming city. There, we walked along the tiny streets, visited little shops, passed hundreds of beautiful orange trees, and explored the gardens and palace of the Alcázar of Seville, which you might recognize as the Water Gardens of Dorne in the "Game of Thrones" series. Unfortunately, August is celiac and ate an entire glutenous bread roll at a restaurant which claimed to be a dedicated gluten-free facility our second night there. You do not want to know what went down in the AirBnb bathroom that night. All I will say is "I am so sorry" to the other person staying there...
After Seville, we left for Paris. Going to Paris is a childhood dream of mine. Through the hardest times growing up, I would sit in my room planning the day I would finally see the Eiffel Tower. When I finally did, I tell you in that moment, I thought magic was real. Some say that it's just an overrated tourist attraction, but for me, it made everything I had been through worth it. It made me reflect on just how far I’d come from those days as a little girl. Seeing the Eiffel Tower was the highlight of my Europe trip.
In Paris, August and I also,
~Saw the Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, Arc de Triomphe, Moulin Rouge, Sacré-Cœur, and went to the top of the Montparnasse Tower
~Explored the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa
~Went to Disneyland Paris
The plan was to spend the last half of spring break in Paris, finishing the week with a sunset trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower and then a scenic train ride back to Germany the next day. Unfortunately, as August and I walked Paris, searching for what apparently was the last bottle of hand sanitizer in the city (which we found, by the way!), we learned that our tickets to the Eiffel Tower had been canceled, and so was the rest our semester abroad. This gutted me. My dream was being cut short, and it didn't feel fair. Even so, I didn't even have time to think as we decided that we would fly back to Germany the next day instead of ride the train in order to get back to our "home-base" as soon as possible.
In our rushing out the door at 4am the next morning to make our flight, we left all of our souvenirs from the WHOLE WEEK in a pile on the table at our AirBnb. Luckily, our host was incredible (even after we literally flooded his entire apartment with 2 inches of water the first night) and mailed them to Maine.
And just like that, my European dream had come to an end. After a final few days in Wittenberg, some delicious German food, and a teary goodbye, I boarded a flight to the US.
Instead of flying home to Maine, I decided it would be safest to fly into California to live with my sister, Anissa, who was at lower risk for a severe case of COVID than my parents. I ended up staying with her, her boyfriend, Dan, and their dog, Frankie, in Napa for three months. It was my first time in California, and it was a wonderful experience, even during the pandemic. We got to swim in her pool, visit scenic areas, and we ate great vegan food. I worked out every day and became the most confident in myself I've ever been my life. In addition, Napa is where I started this blog.
After Napa, I went home for a few weeks to get ready for school. From there, my parents and I packed a U-Haul and I went off to Ohio to begin my last year of undergrad. This year, I went completely online, am living in my first apartment, and am completing my double major in Communication and Theatre.
In my last fall semester of undergrad, I got into (and committed to!) the first and only Master's program I applied to, Trinity College Dublin's Digital Marketing Strategy MSc program at their Business School. I also applied for a Fulbright Scholarship to spend a year teaching English in Athens, Greece. Even more prominent, however, was that my life changed the day I walked out of the orientation for the organization 4Paws for Ability with a three month old golden lab puppy named CC. She has been with August and I since October 12th and we are raising her to be a service dog. Through these life changing events, I took six courses, three of which were writing intensive and two of which were research courses. I also wrote a prospectus for my thesis about the television show "Big Little Lies" and casted for the MainStage production of Sophie Treadwell's "Machinal" I am directing this spring.
I rang in the new year in a suburb of Chicago with August's family after spending my first Christmas away from family. We we took CC to the bean, something I have always wanted to see, and introduced her to animals at the zoo.
2020 was crazy. I won't pretend like my whole year was incredible. I hit some of my lowest lows and I am still struggling to understand my life right now. I have reevaluated where I stand in the world and in systems which benefit me and hurt others. I have seen what allowing the darkest in people to run free can do. Hell, I haven't even gone out to eat since March. Even so, for me, 2020 was a transformative year and I am so lucky to have had the experiences I did.
I hope 2021 is a year that holds the opportunity for healing. But, I also know, and hope you have realized through recent events, that flipping a page on a calendar does not change the world. As such, I hope you go into this year with hope and excitement but also with passion to fight for real change, with love for others, and a humble heart open to learning.
Happy New Year!
See you soon,
Sierra Dann
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