Alina Oswald

I’ve lost track of time. The coronavirus pandemic has not only been the mark of 2020, a year to remember for sure, but has marked us, as individuals, and in so many ways. These days it’s like living in a loop. There’s no weekend, no week day. There’s checking in with family and friends, scrubbing hands with soap and water, watching (mostly local) press conferences, while holding my breath for the latest updates, which never seem to look encouraging, rather, quite the opposite. There's taking time putting on the mask, to make sure I carry an additional mask with me, in case the elastic band of the one I wear breaks from having to wear the mask for too long. I have to, because there are not that many masks to be found.

This has been a devastating year that has depleted so many of us of so many basic needs--homes, lives, health, livelihoods. This kind of thick, deep, darkness brings despair, depression, and hopelessness. What's left?