The year 2020 will go down in world history as a year marked by radical changes.
2020 was marked by non-critical, manipulative, polarizing, and one-sided media reporting, as well as the restriction of personal mobility, the suppression of freedom of expression (based on non-scientific principles), and the emergence of something that has not yet been used to this extent in Austria by government parties. The political instrument of the “politics of fear”.
A sad and alarming sign of a change that needs to be critically questioned and constantly observed to recognize trends and directions on time to see possible negative impacts on the lives of the general Austrian public.
However, the year 2020 also had positive highlights, at least for us, the Kornhäusl’s:
- In January, I was able to take the final exam (after completing the course in less than the minimum period of study) and completed the MBA course with high distinction.
- In March, on the first day of the Corona restrictions in place in Kenya, our second daughter decided to start exploring the world. Marie-Sophie Habiba Luna (MSHL) was born on the 13th of March 2020, weighing 3.56 kg and with a height of 51 cm.
- Home-schooling (HS) at the International German School in Nairobi was introduced in March and lasted the entire calendar year. This brought some challenges but also brought us closer as a family.
- In March, the DBTA network office closed for a few weeks, and the mode was switched to the home office (HO). Fortunately, the office was able to reopen after a few weeks due to the low Corona infection rates in Kenya. This enabled the team to coordinate the implementation of the programs signed for. The Social Structure Fund Project Phase II (SSFP-II), the Global Program (GP), the Erasmus Pilot Program between the European and African Union (SAAM), and others were successfully continued after an intensive phase of redesigning the implementation of work packages.
- My contract with the Salesian Continental Network Office for TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) in Africa was extended (with the consent of all parties involved).
- And “last but not least”, I decided to expand my scooter collection to include scooters from the 80s and 90s. Some exhibits have already been secured so that the collection now contains around 120 vehicles.
All in all, we, the Kornhäusl’s, can look back on the thoroughly positive year 2020 but at the same time, we are concerned with the understanding of democracy of some of our Austrian politicians and the associated changes in the political landscape and especially the non-emergence of political alternatives in our beautiful Austria.