Celebrating all that is life
2022 was a year of many turns, and changes, for each and everyone one of us. At the start of this year, we reflected upon two years since Covid-19 first hit Australia, with the effects of the infectious disease still being a present issue in all of our lives. However, Covid-19 was not the only thing that had an impact this year. For university students, we returned to campus life and started in-person exams! (Was anyone else completely shocked by this?) When I first started uni, it was the year 2020, when Covid-19 first hit. So, I started my studies online and continued that way until now, when things have gone back to “normal”. But, my normal? My normal was actually being online – so things are very not normal for me now!
And that got me thinking… Since Covid-19, the world has been topsy-turvy. Everyone has had struggles with their mental health, with change, and so, so much more. It has been very tough for everyone. So, I thought I’d highlight some of the changes that we saw through 2022:
January:
- Novak Djokovic is deported from Australia due to his COVID-19 status.
- Wordle becomes a major hit.
February:
- Russia invades Ukraine
- Koalas are listed as endangered for the first time in Australia, in QLD, NSW and the ACT.
- The infamous ‘Convoy to Canberra’ takes place.
March:
- Microplastics are found in human blood for the first time.
- Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards.
April:
- Prince Philip dies.
- Twitter announces a deal for Elon Musk to buy the platform.
May:
- Anthony Albanese becomes Prime Minister of Australia.
- Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Defamation trial continues.
June:
- Queensland wins the state of Origin… again.
- Roe v. Wade is overturned by the US Supreme Court.
July:
- Flooding continues across NSW.
August:
- Scotland becomes the first country to make period products free for all.
September:
- Queen Elizabeth II dies.
- A third La Niña hits Australia.
October:
- Right now. I’m actually writing this in October, and I don’t know what the next few months will hold.
Above, I have only outlined some things that happened in the world, and it certainly isn’t everything. But, this reflection also got me thinking about what has changed in my own life.
For me, I started my first year of Occupational Therapy, struggled with my mental health, failed a course, started growing my social media business, decided to go part-time at uni, worked, put my boyfriend’s family dog down, and surpassed the one year anniversary since my grandma passed away. I really reflected on what this year has had in store for me personally–alongside the world-wide events that we have all heard of, no matter what social media platform we might be on–and decided to ask myself a couple of questions…
Who am I? Well, that I’m still figuring out. I want to be me.
What do I want to be? I honestly want to be an Occupational Therapist and Social Media Manager, having my own cute little office and helping all kinds of people.
Now, who are you? And what do you want to be? Coming into 2023, I think we should all reflect on the big–and the little–events that have happened over the year that is 2022, and answer these big questions, ready to start 2023.
Hey! My name is Ivy-Rose! I’m the student life columnist and contributor for the Opus mag! I love writing about life as a student, the societal expectations, and experiences that help us grow and shape us to who we are today – as individuals and a collective! When I’m not contributing to Opus, I’m helping out local charity organisations SHIBUI Services and What Were You Wearing as well as creating content!
