#11 Reflections: 2021 - A Review

2021 is slowly coming to a close.

Today morning I spent around 2 hours reading through my previous year. I wasn’t expecting it to take me more than half an hour, considering the fact that I wrote significantly less this year in comparison. So it was a surprise to find so much had actually been documented. I wanted to read back to remember what was 2021. February 2020 till today seems all like 1 big blur that I am not sure when 2021 even came around.

But as I read through the pages, one thing is for sure. It has been one heck of a year.

It began with…

The year began with 6 weeks of national lockdown. The days were bitterly cold yet with bright blue skies which led us to return to our lockdown practices of longs walks in the park again. We witnessed frozen lakes, had snowball fights and made snow angels. All this while I handed in the first portion of our dissertation project and sat my first semester exams of final year.

Second semester soon arrived and along with it came a host of new assignments from group presentations to essays and reports. Alongside, as restrictions slowly eased, the ISOC (Islamic society) were back at planning out some real-life events, all beginning with the unforgettable hike just before Ramadan.

This years Ramadhan was a weird one, one foot into lockdown yet one foot out — there was no longer the solidarity the world had for 2020s Lockdown Ramadhan, yet our local masjid wasn’t fully opened for taraweehs and iftar too. In between, we somehow managed to waddle through to Eid. But before Eid, we can’t forget to mention 27th of Ramadhan — a night where the new generation of Muslims saw live on their social media feeds what they had heard about from their parents and grandparents about Palestine. A new wave of activism began, with the youth at the forefront and the weapon of social media in their hands.

But university carried on and soon it was time to submit my final assignment and begin the final exam season. 3 weeks of slogging in front of my laptop at my desk, watching the sun rise and set from my window, we finally reached June 3rd. The laptop was closed, the chair tucked in under the desk and with that another chapter came to a close.

And then summer began.

At the start of summer, 3 months seemed like an impossibly long time. But as usual, the months whizzzed by with a volantary internship at the local charity, to community events, retreats and trips. Covid seemed like a word from the past. As all the restrictions disappeared, it felt as though everyone was making up for all the time they lost.

Before we knew it, Eid ul Adha arrived which was soon followed by our unofficial gradutation. On the hottest day of the year, we finally got to take the picture that costed us £27k and more tears than one can count.

And then September arrived.

September 1st, I wrapped up my final day at the charity with cupcakes for the team. September 2nd, the day I turned 23, I began my first day as a corporate office worker. September 6th, I moved out to what was going to be my new home for the year. September 16th, we had our first sleepover with friends at this new home. And since then till now its all been a whiz of new experiences.

Other crazy things that happened this year — I started a blog. Had my 1 year anniversary on my bookstagram (my book review page on Instagram). Released my first video with my University about my experiences as an accounting student. Taught summer English classes for asylum seekers and refugees. Hiked the Yorkshire peaks. Biked 10 (miles?km?…alot) in Peak District. And that was just the beginning.

Wow. Its been a crazy year huh.

Final thoughts

To be honest, it’s not all been fun and easy. Studying for finals in lockdown — working consistently from 1 room for days on end on assignments and exams took more of a toll on me than I realised. When I go back home on the weekends now, I realised I have a slight aversion to my own bedroom, preferring to spend as little time as possible in it as a result.

Additionally, being at a sort of crossroad in life brings along an uncertainity for the future. There have been stretches time where my choices haunt me — have I made the right choice in terms of career, family, marriage. It takes active effort to remind myself to be present in the moment and the constant repetion of the dua:

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But with that being said, I cannot deny how kind Allah has been to me and my family this year. In the midst of a global pandemic, He kept us all safe and blessed us all with more.

Alhamdulillah for what a wonderful year it has been. Alhamdulillah for being able to live a year full of so many rich experiences. Alhamdulillah for the growth I’ve gone through and the introspection I was granted.

Alhamdulillah.

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