Straight forward, witty and timeless. #TellItLikeItIs, is a blog for our generation 
Dear Gen Y, the month of January 2022 has finally closed off; which makes it official that 2022 is actually here. After the past 2 years of ‘God knows what’s going on’ in the world, by the end of December 2021 many of us had resolutions that were much more inspiring than those of the past – Healthier diets, making new connections, eliminating stagnant ones, implementing new life goals etc. etc.
Yes, after having experienced extreme ‘Covid fatigue,’ we longed for a new beginning at the onset of 2022. Now, here it is that January 2022 has now come and gone; and as of yesterday, we are officially in the month of February.
It’s time to regroup. Where are we so far for 2022?
For most, 2022 did not exactly start off with quite ‘the bang’ hoped for. Rather, it felt like a continuation of 2021, which felt like a continuation of 2020 – overall an opening to another consecutive year of pandemic struggles. For others who were determined on maintaining a positive outlook no matter what, displaying a positive mental attitude, regardless of any external factors, ushered in a whole new perspective that made January 2022 feel like that much needed new beginning.
It all depends on where you stand on the 2022 spectrum.
Taking a look at some key happenings so far for the year (in no specific order), here are some events that have taken place.
Starting at the local level, there has been some surprising news for two sectors. In January, the government of Dominica announced that face to face school classes will soon resume. While this was proposed to be executed on a phased basis and no official date is yet released, it is a welcome relief for parents who have been jumping through hoops to make the online homeschool dynamic work since 2020.
Another piece of news for entertainment lovers, is the proposition to host carnival events for vaccinated persons. Caribbean residents care much about ‘fete – ing’ and this announcement is also of great importance for those vendors and businesses who used to earn adequate revenue from these sort of events. While the final decision is still pending, it is particularly anticipated as 2022 would have marked the second year of no carnival activities in Dominica.
Also in local entertainment, musicians were awarded over the last weekend in January at the first ever Dominica Music Awards. We saw Carlyn XP, Reo, Starsha, Asa Bantan, among others receive awards in numerous fields such as Best Female Artiste, Best Music Video, Best Soca Artiste and Best Male artiste. Lifetime awards were also distributed at that ceremony.
In the region, Barbados held its general elections where incumbent Prime Minister Mia Mottley was re-elected to the post of Prime Minister.
Further afield the world is getting more comfortable bringing international sports into the spotlight. During the last week in January athletes from around the world began arriving in Beijing, China for the Winter Olympics due to commence in February.
Traveling for sporting events has become somewhat regular in the region, and Dominica’s female football team will be participating in the CONCACAF Women’s Qualifiers in Anguilla. Other athletes, especially cricketers, have been traveling throughout the Caribbean and the world, for numerous matches.
A lot more has happened in Dominica, the region and the wider world – such as the eruption of an underwater volcano near Tonga, the impending nomination of the first Black American female to the United States Supreme Court, and the possible invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
All in all it’s clear to see that so far for the first 31 days of the year, the world is not letting COVID stop it in its tracks any longer and is definitely #MovingForward. Happy 2022 everyone.
Written by: Andrea Louis & Dilma Bastien
For: Generation Y Dominica
Generation Y Dominica 