Heartbreaking Start to 2020

2020 Has Not Been Very Kind

We're barely on our second month of the year and so many heartbreaking things have already happened all over the world.

First off - Australia's devastating bush fires that killed so many helpless animals, destroyed unimaginable areas of forests, and took the lives of many brave firemen who helped put it under control. It was very painful to see on TV how so many animals got burnt trying to escape the inferno and how those that managed to escape with severe burns on their body had to be euthanised.

On another part of the world, Iran's missile strike on a US military base located in Iraq injured several American soldiers. This was apparently done in retaliation for an American drone attack that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.

A few days after Iran's missile strike, a commercial Ukrainian jetliner carrying 176 civilian passengers crashed in Tehran, with allegations that it had been shot down. While Iran initially denied responsibility, it eventually admitted that they had shot down the plane due to "human error".

Taal Volcano, the second most active volcano in the Philippines, erupted again after 43 years. It was followed by an ash fall that reached BGC, which is around 100km away. I was oblivious to it when it happened, but I eventually went out to get some basic supplies at the urging of my cousin. It was only then that I saw how everything outside was covered in dust. For the first time, it seemed like BGC was abandoned because there was barely anyone outside. The moment felt very ominous and disconcerting. It's like being scared of something that I have no idea what, only that there's something that's about to happen.

Then there's Kobe Bryant's death. This was as shocking as they could come. It was so unexpected that I wasn't really sure if I was still dreaming or not when I checked my FB and saw the article just after waking up. When it finally dawned on me that it was real, I didn't even know what to feel. I'm not a big basketball fan but everyone knows Kobe Bryant. He's a larger-than-life personality who has become a household name. The thing is, we see our idols like Kobe Bryant so much bigger than life that we think death couldn't touch them. Or maybe that death could spare them while they set out to do good in this world. Sadly, death doesn't work that way and Kobe Bryant was no exception. What made his death more heartbreaking was the fact that his young daughter Gigi, a promising athlete, also perished in the helicopter crash that took his life, along with nine other people.

Devastating Reality of the Novel Coronavirus

As if those things weren't enough already, the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak comes into the picture. The epicenter/ground zero of the outbreak is in Wuhan, a megacity located in the Hubei province of China.

While there's no conclusive statement yet as to what specific animal the virus initially came from (it's a toss between bats, snakes, or one of the other exotic wildlife that are consumed as part of local Chinese dishes), it was determined that it originated from a wet market in Wuhan where these exotic animals were being sold. It has since been shut down. 

I will not dive into the details but basically, Wuhan right now is in lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. So far, more or less 17,000 (update: 20,000 as of Feb. 4) cases coming from different parts of the world have been confirmed to be positive with the nCoV infection, with around 360 (update: 400+ as of Feb. 4) fatalities coming from Wuhan.

All of these people had either been to Wuhan in the past few weeks or had been in contact or exposed to someone who had been to Wuhan. In an unfortunate twist of events, the first nCoV death reported outside of China happened here in the Philippines (update: second death outside of China reported in Hongkong as of Feb. 4).

What makes this really scary is that scientists are still scrambling to figure out how this is transmitted from human to human, with no known cure/vaccine as of the moment coupled with a very fast fatality rate.

People who could be carrying the virus are also asymptomatic, which means that they show no symptoms that they have it but could possibly be passing the virus to other unsuspecting people that they come in contact with.

With these developments, the most noticeable thing I've seen in the building where I work in BGC is the sanitizer/alcohol/disinfectant stand set up at the entrance. It has also become the norm for people to put on face masks whenever they go outside.

All these uncertainties surrounding nCoV bring a sense of foreboding that really freaks me out. We're encouraged to wear face masks but the shortage of supply means it's not available to everyone. I was fortunate enough to buy several pieces, which I initially got for the ash fall, but I know this will not last very long. What happens then?

I have already worked from home several times these past few weeks. While I haven't been anywhere other than our office and my condo since I got here from my Christmas vacation in Cebu, I've been having bouts of migraine and cough, which couldn't have come at a worse time. No one can afford to have a weak immune system right now.

LDR Sucks

On a very personal note, what I thought was a chance for us to work things out with my ex-boyfriend has been scrapped due to the travel restrictions imposed by different countries and airlines because of the nCoV.

He was supposed to fly here from Florida in the last week of February for a two-week stay, with a layover in Shanghai for his roundtrip flights.

I'm not gonna deny that I was really looking forward to it. I miss him, to be honest. On the other hand, I don't want to put him in a situation where he could get caught in the middle of all these travel restrictions or be exposed to the virus because he'd have to go to several airports for his connecting flights.

It's really sad because we had already sorted things out about his stay here. Aside from his tickets, he had already booked his Airbnb as well.

This is the part where LDR really hits hard. There's nothing like the reality of not being able to travel to see someone whenever you want to that drives home how difficult LDR is. With all these travel restrictions caused by the nCoV, that reality has been really overwhelming.

This morning, I told him that he should just cancel everything and ask for a refund. I appreciate all his efforts to see me, but our situation where he has to fly out every time is not fair to him. I'm not in a position to give him an option other than him having to fly here if we want to see each other, which is why I told him he's better off with someone else that he could see anytime he wants, without having to fly halfway across the world.

I guess he's also over this whole thing because he just agreed with everything that I said. Despite what I told him, his reaction still stings, but I need to accept that this is how things are now. So much for Valentine's month, right?

Cancelled Travel Plans

The only trip I had planned for this year was my upcoming Vietnam and Cambodia solo trip, which was supposed to be from February 21 to March 1.

When my ex said he'd be coming here during those dates, I gladly cancelled it despite my roundtrip tickets and Cambodia accommodation being non-refundable. Now that he would not be coming here anymore, I still would not be pushing through with my trip because of the nCoV.

Vietnam and Cambodia both have confirmed nCoV cases and just thinking about having to go to airports and immigration is giving me anxiety. With my only travel plan for 2020 scrapped, I don't know what else this year has in store for me in terms of going to new places.

Racism and Xenophobia

Today, this devastating disease is not just about China and the Chinese people anymore. This is humanity racing against time to contain something that doesn’t recognize race, border, country, or faith.

It’s heartbreaking to see this reality be made an excuse to discriminate against people who are also fighting the same battle. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for taking all the extra precautions that we can and all the measures that we need to keep this under control.

But as we panic, fuss, fear, and go all out to secure our health and that of our loved ones, we should not forget that the Chinese people that most easily blame as the cause for this are also fighting the same battle, but in a much difficult and more vulnerable position.

Unlike us, they are fighting this from both sides of the story - as a people struggling for their own survival against a deadly disease that have permeated their own country and as a people who are aware, much more than we'll ever know, of how this reality have put them in the eyes of the rest of the world.

I admit that I'm scared of the current situation and all of the uncertainties that come with nCoV but at the end of the day, doing what we can do to keep ourselves healthy and safe should not be at the expense of being kind.

I know this is easier said than done. When we're pushed to a corner where we find ourselves in the dark as to how to proceed, our instinc to survive always comes first, but whatever we do, please have heart. Always.