The year 2020 is often dubbed as the year to forget, ever since the pandemic started, all our lives have been affected in more ways than one. The quarantine took place right before Spring break of last year. I remember just finishing up the midterm review and getting ready for a relaxing break to recharge and decompress. Little did we all know it was the last time we would have to physically go to school in the foreseeable future. At the beginning, like everyone else, I immediately rejected the notion of staying home and leaving the social life that we have grown accustomed to. I thought about all the things I had to sacrifice and wondered if things would ever be the same. 

For the first week or so, I had a hard time adjusting to this new lifestyle. I would often complain and think about what could’ve been. But then I realized that no matter how much we complain, the situation is out of our control. So instead I focused on the things that I could control. 

Starting with meditation, I began to understand myself better the more time I’m alone. I realized there’s a whole lot that I didn’t know about myself such as my curiosity into psychology. I spent a few weeks looking into certain aspects of the human minds and behaviors that interested me, then it grew beyond just humans but animals too. I learned that humans are no more complex than other animals because we are all driven by instincts whether we know them or not. Since then I have been trying to learn from my intuitions and instincts, to understand them and direct them to an extent. By the end of that summer, I learned more than I would have otherwise.

As we grew accustomed to the online setting, learning architecture seems almost easier in a way. Not because physical models are no longer required but because there’s less barriers between ideas. The work would no longer be affected by the printing quality of the printer or the lighting in the gallery. All the work we put in is shown on Conceptboard, every detail is visible to all. Of course building physical models is a great way to explore ideas but since it’s not required, there’s more time for exploration through other means as well. Learning has never been easier.

Personally, the answer is no, nothing would be the same but in the best way possible. I can say I have become a better person, student, and future architect in the process. The year 2020 for me is the year to remember.