Hi there Me in 2019
You're reading this letter having just spent one of your best Christmas in Taiwan this weekend. Next week you'll be heading to the capital Taipei for the countdown and enter 2020 on a high.
Or so you thought.
2020 is going to turn out to be anything but by anyone on this entire universe could have ever imagined. No, World War Three didn't start. At least with a war you know who your enemy is and how to combat them. The world is going to be up against something invisible that you can't see with the naked eye, something that is probably going to be around you and could kill you. As I'm writing this letter to you, it has killed more than 1.7m people worldwide.
Make note of this name - Wuhan virus. That's what it's called until the snowflakes got so upset that it got renamed Corona Virus or Covid-19 or just Covid for short. Trust me, you'll remember this name for the rest of your life.
Covid is going to upset your life big time in 2020. Your planned trip back to UK in May for three weeks will be bought forward to February. And you'll be back in UK for much longer than three weeks. Pack as if you won't be returning to Taiwan for a long time. And when I say long, I mean you'll be gone for the entire 2020 and beyond. I wish I can tell you when you'll be returning to Taiwan, but I don't have an answer yet. Maybe in 12 months time, when I write to Me in 2020 I'll be able to tell you.
You won't be doing much in 2020. No holidays, no getting out and about, you can count the number of times you eat out with two hands. You'll hardly see much of your friends and families, and when you do, it's going to be at a social distance. That's another term you'll hear a lot of in 2020. That means no hugs, no peck on the cheeks, no physical contact if you don't live in the same household, and stay at least 2m apart in case you pass the virus to each other. Trips to supermarkets and the shops will become the highlight of your week.
You'll be spending most of your time indoors, save for a brief period during summer, when things looked like they were getting better. You'll get the opportunity to go out a bit, so make the most of it and enjoy yourself because things will start to go downhill again.
Yes, that's how bleak it gets. I'm not kidding, I would never lie to Me in 2019, so brace yourself for a bumby year.
Covid kills people, it kills society and it kills the economy, and more importantly, it can kill one's soul. Some say it's the fear of Covid that kills and not Covid itself. You can make up your own mind when you get here in 2020, and tell You in 2021 what you think. You know where to find You.
You will be pleased to know that Taiwan escaped pretty much unscathed during all this. Out of the 1.7m Covid deaths worldwide, only 7 were in Taiwan. That's still 7 too many in my opinion. They're probably one of few countries in the world who can still lead more or less a normal life in 2020. They closed the border in March when things blew up. Smart move if you ask me. I wasn't smart enough to stay because I thought I'd get kicked out when my visa expires. Turns out visitors could get a visa extension. If I'd turned left instead of right, you'd be ok and still life a normal life in Taiwan in 2020.
Alas, what's done it's done, at least I can give you heads up so you know what's coming. I'm sorry I had to put you through all this uncertainty in 2020, but then, coming back to UK isn't that bad after all. Just think of all the yummy food and snacks you've missed. You can pig out when you get back.
Brace yourself for 2020 and stay strong.
You in 2020
Here's my letter to Me in 2019. I'm going to tag a few people from different communities so you can send a letter to your Me in 2019. Tag some of your friends and use the #mein2019 tag.
