January Journal

Berlin, Germany

As lived by Moritz Dittrich

We’re starting this year with another weave of covid. Cases are as high as never before during the pandemic. The German government decides to not make any restrictions though since the situation in hospitals seems to be manageable.

I start the year with covid as well. For a long time I was scare to get the virus and therefore very careful. With the new variant no one seems to be save from it so it got me as well. New year — new hopes. I hope this year many things will be better.

Marrakech, Morocco

Through the lens of Rime Cherai

I tested positive at the end of January. And while I was sick and stuck in bed, couldn’t think of something else besides that at that very moment millions or maybe even billions of people were in the exact same situation. And maybe even coughing at the exact same second. Quite bizarre…and so abstract, that it makes me lose sight of scale.

United in grief. Last week a little boy had fallen accidentally into a well in a small village in Morocco. While tremendous efforts were deployed to save him, enabling the rescue team to get him out of the well he had fallen into, we lost the little Rayan to his injuries. I was devastated just imagining what the little boy might have felt, but also moved by all the solidarity. Sending my love to this little angel, all my courage to his family, and my infinite gratitude to all the team who spent sleepless nights and had an indescribable will to save our little boy.

Mexico City, Mexico

Through the eyes of Nuria Benítez Gómez

Wow, another year begins its course. I wonder what 2022 will bring for us as a society, now that more and more people are vaccinated and have been sick with covid. Will everyone forget all the things they were occupied with at home during lockdown, will life go back to its previous course without significant changes? By the end of the month I finally had Covid; the Omicron variant was extremely contagious and in a blink I got infected as well. I am glad my symptoms were not as terrible as they were last year, that I didn’t infect anyone else, and that this variant has caused fewer hospitalisations.

The former director of Pemex accused the former presidential candidate of receiving part of the bribes that Odebrecht gave to influence Peña Nieto’s energy reform. Now, in a definitive move after five years, the FGR concluded that Lozoya was the only one who received and benefited from these millionaire bribes. They showed him with 59 tests and now they ask for a punishment of more than 40 years in prison. It feels good when at least bits of justice take place. (Unlike what is happening in Ukraine…cannot believe it.)

Athens, Greece

From the mind of Kiproula Bartzoka

January has been an unexpected month for Greece as for 2 days we had a very “bad” weather with a lot of snow. Even though this lasted 2 days, in many areas and especially in the north of Athens streets were closed for days and some apartments didn’t have electricity for hours. Which makes me wonder, how is it possible to live in a European country in the year 2022 and have so major issues? Some hospitals couldn’t even treat their patients.

Besides the horrible situation snow caused for so many people, there was also the good side of this, that we had the opportunity to enjoy snow, go for amazing walks in nature and take some time off from everything. Other than that, January is the first month of the year which means that it carries an excitement about new things that may come, and in my case helps me re-think my choices and make new.

New York City, New York, United States of America

Experienced by Jon Gayomali

The spread of the virus grew a lot in the past month, and it seems that mostly everyone has had it, most people getting it in December and January. A big story in the sports world was the detention of number 1 ranked men’s tennis star Novak Djokavic. Because he was unvaccinated, the Australian government banned him from playing, citing that allowing him to play would spark anti vaccine sentiment.

January 6 was the 1 year anniversary of the riots on the Capitol. President Biden referred to President Trump “spreading a web of lies about the 2020 election.” He also took a tone of optimism as he called January 6 as a rebirth of “liberty and fair play.” In 49 out of 74 sentencings, Federal judges have gone below the government recommendation.

2022. What does it have in store? I have to admit, 2021 was quite a struggle and I didn’t meet alI my goals, but I passed my CSE exam this month, which is really the end of a journey I started around 7 years ago. It has been a really difficult journey, but I’m glad that it’s over and can finally cross that off my bucket list. In that way, it’s given me some momentum for the year.