Written By: Michael Sandoval
The World
As We Know It
“A Time To Never Forget”…
In my life time I have experienced some defining moments within the world’s occurrences. Some have impacted our everyday life and some will never be forgotten because of the influence that they have had on our future. The moments that I refer to have a wide range; they vary from the release of Nelson Mandela to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the world trade center and or the shattering recession of 2007-2009.
Each year between the early 90’s and 2019 we have typically had a hand full of unforgettable circumstances. 2020 has re-defined and possibly changed everything.
January
The beginning of the year seemed a little simpler, our New Year’s resolutions were in full effect and we were getting ready to take on a year full of opportunities. For me, 2020 would be a year where I would finally get to see a life-long dream come true. I would begin an adventure that would lead into owning my own business and launching my vision of what would be something that I had worked my entire life to achieve. Little did I know that a strange new virus would bring the entire world to its knees…
As the first week of January began, I traveled to Northern Africa for work after being in the United States with my loved one during Christmas. I remember being at the airport and watching the news. I saw massive protests, heard threats of war and talk of Iran’s retaliatory attack after the United States drone strike that left an Iranian General dead. A week passed and as I normally experience, work made me forget about the “real world” and it’s concerns. The new talk was about the United States President and how he would go on trial with the possibility of being impeached. As the world continued to be blinded by dramatic occurrences we neglected to watch and listen to the silent ticking clock that had already taken 9,927 people hostage and the rest of us at the mercy of the “Crown”. As January started to come to an end and Great Britain became the first country to leave the European Union, the world also mourned the death of Basketball hero Kobe Bryant and watched in curiosity as China began to build special hospitals to deal with an outbreak.
February
My travels continued as I arrived to South Africa and experienced the beautiful country for the first time. Shortly after, I would fly to Miami to train a team in Surf Side for a few weeks.
As Presidential conflicts continued, in early February we learned that Donald Trump would be acquitted of all charges but the tension would continue as the 2020 election were underway.
The end of February started a spark of fear throughout the world and although the word “coronavirus” still seemed unfamiliar to most, there were tremendous jokes surfacing across the globe mocking its severity and strength… Not for long!
Across the world people were starting to become aware of the potential dangers that were to come. In Yokohama Japan, more than 3,000 people were detained on the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship as it became a quarantined zone after dozens of people tested positive with a virus that some were still ridiculing.
I continued my Journey and flew to Seychelles. The airports were in full swing but the use of masks were starting to become a visual norm. I was slightly concerned, but much like the rest of the world not yet in fear. I was not aware that the world had been subject to approximately 85,967 cases.
March
I began the month of March very excited. My vacation was just around the corner after my lengthy travel schedule and the culinary team and I had been accomplishing and executing some incredible events and food. I was to fly home to Spain to be with my loved ones on March 8th to make it home for my Birthday on the 10th. Within the first days of March I realized that the world had gone into frenzy. Lack of better words, all hell broke loose. I would not be flying home as scheduled; it would be impossible. I read news of global markets foreshadowing months of economic suffering. As the world began to shutdown, life as we knew it seemed to have come to a sudden halt overnight. Countries started to shut their boarders leaving cruise ships floating in the open water hoping for a place to port. Empty airports were exhibited by the news and lifeless city centers across the globe would be the poster board for the so called “coronavirus’. The World Health Organization called the world wide occurrence a Pandemic on March 11, 2020 as 858,340 affected individuals were documented.
On March 18, 2020 I was given an opportunity to fly home from Perth. I arrived to an incredibly different circumstances than that of one month prior. The airport, although scarce of people was filled with individuals fully protected by face masks. The fear of coming too close was the foresight of conversation and social distancing felt like social segregation. Upon arriving to Barcelona I quickly realized that I could count the number of people walking around. All restaurants were closed and vending machines almost out of stock and emptied. Spain had placed the country under mandatory lock down on March 14th and I would soon find out that my appreciation for normality’s like going to the grocery store or taking a walk through the park were to be eliminated from my everyday repertoire. The fear began to sink in. I didn’t know what to prepare for. My mind drifted back to older films like outbreak or contagion that illustrated people conserving canned food, water and creating shelters to escape inhalation. I was going to have to figure out how to inspire myself through what could be an incredibly difficult time.
The beginning of 2020 was just that….
Only the beginning.