Closing out 2020

2020 came, and 2020 goes. We have seen many events occur. The US presidential election, stock markets reaching an all-time high, international relations more strained than ever, and of course, the pandemic of COVID-19. This will be a simple recap of my year.

Online University

As my last year at University comes to a close, I really wish I could have had the chance to take those 9 pm busses back home again. To experience my fellow students crammed into a small Translink bus in the cold dark winter. And to experience studying with my friends at the basement library in Koerner one last time. COVID threw all those out the window, and what’s left is what many students dub as "zoom university".

All the courses I took were online; although the professors were very accommodating, the quality of teaching just isn’t the same as in-person classes. Making new friends was basically non-existent, as the online lecture format made it near impossible to talk to my colleagues outside of class. However, there were some advantages to online courses. Firstly, I could sleep in until lectures started. Secondly, lectures were almost always recorded so that I could re-watch them again. Lastly, I found myself participating more than I would from in-person classes.

One takeaway I really hope UBC will finally implement is lecture recordings. Before COVID, none of the classes I have ever taken at UBC were recorded. This was my biggest gripe when many other universities have already had a recording system implemented ages ago.

Financial review

The markets have done nothing but go up. The market not being an indicator of the economy has never been so prevalent until now. That being said, the markets going up were great for me. Following the advice of buy low sell high, I bought during the time when everyone was selling in March and have since made a decent amount. To anyone reading, I would suggest following Warren Buffet's quote of "be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy only when others are fearful". This piece of advice undoubtedly helped him, and can also help us achieve something too.

Travel

For this year, instead of going abroad like my family usually do, we ended up doing a road-trip to Jasper and Banff. The view was great, the drive was nice and simple, and most of all, it was quiet. Not too many tourists and not too crowded either. Hotel prices were cheaper than usual due to COVID which made it even more enticing to go. While travel this year has been different from the norm, we still didn’t let the pandemic ruin our yearly tradition!

Closing thoughts

All in all, 2020 has been a very generous year for me. Everyone I know has been safe and healthy, and I have kept in touch with many that I have previously lost contact with. To everyone in this world, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay strong. We will get through this together. And here’s to a better 2021! 🥂