I know, everybody went through holidays during the pandemic this year. We are not special. But, honestly, Brazil is chaotic and I want to share my experiences about this topic with you.

My dad has one lung and a half, so obviously he is in the COVID's risk group. And for that matter, I basically haven't left my house since March. My grandmother came home for Christmas, but I spent the New Year's Eve only with my parents. But that doesn't mean that other people behave the same regarding the pandemic.

Today I was in a Zoom meeting with three of my closest friends. They all spent the New Year's Eve in the beach, which were forbidden for the public. In other words, after midnight, people couldn't be on the sand, to avoid agglomeration. And then, by the end of the meeting, one of them proudly shows us her bruises from escaping from the police because she was on the sand when people couldn't. Her legs and arms were full of dark injuries, because she had to climb walls to escape. She said she even had lacrimogeneous gas thrown in the direction she was. All because she wanted to spend her New Year's Eve agglomerating on the sand.

I'm not judging value in this. She had her reasons to go; I had my reasons to stay home. All I wonder is if it was worth it. She's got stories to tell, but she put herself in danger, doing something forbidden just because she felt like it. It is sure weird to see how people behave so differently these days. Sometimes it even feels like two worlds appart, and each is choosing in which reality to live, alongside with its consequences.

Anyways, it is likely that the Brazilian health system collapes in the next few weeks because of this outbreak. And we still have not started to be vaccinated. The fear is constant and I have no idea when things are going back to normal, if they ever are.

What are your thoughts on the pandemic? How did you spend the holiday season at your country?