Opinions
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Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020 |
by Dale Burgos
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Are you dizzy by how quickly 2019 passed? I know I am! Thankfully I got a couple weeks off during the holidays to catch my breath and look back on an amazing year and end of the decade. Before I get to the Burgos adventures, let’s take a look at some top news stories from the past year, shall we?
One of the biggest stories this past year involved 16 year-old Greta Thunberg. The Swedish teen captured headlines and hearts around the world and ignited passion in young and old alike. Climate change activism hit global proportions and it looks like we have gotten to the tipping point. The younger generation has had enough and are pointing fingers at lawmakers and big business. It is apparent that the demand for change will not go away.
Even though I don’t think it needs more coverage, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the impeachment proceedings in the United States. Every time I checked, this took all the top spots in my news feed. I’m very curious to see how this plays out – it’s better than a TV drama series!
What else happened in 2019? The protests in Hong Kong began, trade wars affected economies, Disney+ and AppleTV entered the media streaming wars – the list goes on.
If we’re talking sports, 2019 was a pretty darn good year for Canadians. The Toronto Raptors won their first NBA Championship after 25 years in the league. Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu became the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title – she did so by beating one of the greats.
Oh and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Won the Grey Cup! About time.
As for the Burgos family, 2019 started and ended pretty grand.
I flew in to Winnipeg in January for some meetings. I was quickly reminded about how cold it gets. I was there when the overnight low dipped to -53 degrees with the wind chill. If that happened where I live now, I think it would cause mass hysteria. For Winnipeggers, no problem! My mom and I ran out to do some shopping. Streets were still busy with cars; it was only -45 after all.
It was also a big year for Dale Jr. as he turned 16 years old. Soon enough he’ll be on the road and I will be watching intently out the window every time he goes out and will not move until he safely returns. Very stressful!
We had a lot of ups, but there was one significant down this year. We lost my Ninong Val. It was very sudden when he passed away in June. We were planning to stay with him in July for a couple weeks. It was heartbreaking that we didn’t get to spend that time with him. We were looking forward to it.
Summer hit and we spent some of it in Alberta where we had the De Jesus family reunion. One of the highlights was when my mom tried out some Minute to Win It games. She started with an Oreo cookie on her forehead and had to maneuver it into her mouth without using her hands!
Fast forward to the Christmas break. We fulfilled a long time dream of the Burgos kids. Izzy and I booked a trip to Mexico! Seven glorious days in the Riviera Maya, snorkelling, swimming and just good old fashioned relaxing. As nice as the beaches in the Caribbean are, the ultimate goal is to visit the many beautiful beaches in The Philippines. Places like Boracay or Palawan are the hot spots, but I’m sure you know a couple not-so-famous spots that are just as nice. When it’s time, I’m going to be asking you where we should visit when we go back home. Until then, here’s to a prosperous 2020!
Dale is a former Winnipegger and manages the communications department for a school district in B.C. You can follow him on Twitter: @DaleBurgos.