It’s strange seeing the difference between the years 2019 compared to 2020, the grave consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic almost makes me forget about all the horrible things that happened in 2020. January 2020, Australia started experiencing wildfires that would soon reach headlines as it lasted for 3, the United States of America had an even more rocky relationship with Iran, rumours of another world war spread wide, and USA had announced the first case of the so-called “chinese virus”. Which is just racist honestly. During 2020 we’ve heard news of the Coronavirus, the swarm of locusts in Africa, the Earthquakes in Turkey, the forest fires, and the crashes.
When the World Health Organization(WHO) announced that the Corona Virus was detrimental to human health, everyone started panic buying rolls of toilet paper and gallons of alcohol. You’d see grocery stores where people weren't wearing masks and were not socially distancing. During February 2020, everyone was instructed to wear masks and to constantly wash hands or use alcohol and sanitizers. It was only during March 2020 when governments tried to take “action”, they suspended classes for 2 weeks; not knowing that in the future a world-wide lockdown would unfold. To be honest I wasn't surprised about the rising cases in the Philippines, it’s an overpopulated country with 75% of its citizens living below or on minimum wage. It was just upsetting to watch how it all went down, especially when you realize the government could have done things more efficiently.
Covid-19 led to school years to be taken virtually, more people were working at home, several people lost their jobs, their families, and their lives. Healthcare workers would spend their shifts on overtime due to the amount of cases. Businesses and Travel companies have changed their safety protocols. It was horrible really. But we did get some things out of it. Since the pandemic, there haven’t been many tourists and not everyone was going outside. The overall air and water pollution levels have lowered ever since lockdown. The job opportunities for the disabled and forced to stay at home increased tenfold. Health practices such as washing hands, proper sneezing and coughing were now raised to a high standard. And though we weren’t able to see our friends or family face to face, we were now closer than ever. The lockdown gave us more time to discover ourselves, besides ordinary routine would never be able to give us that kind of experience. Living in a pandemic is hard, but it isn’t hopeless.
During quarantine I was actually able to make more friends and meet new people. I can't talk to people face to face but I can call them whenever I want on social media. Quarantine gave me so much time, time I used wisely, I picked up books ranging from health, sleep, biology, stress, self-help, and success. The last two weren’t actually useful believe it or not. I’m constantly around my family at home, and I rarely go out to the city at this point. Strangely enough, it’s nice. It doesn’t feel as suffocating as I thought it would. It’s quite weird to think “I’m a child living through a pandemic in real time, an event I had only read in history books is now what I have to live through”, it’s an interesting experience. Interesting in a way where it feels like you went through all the stages of grief in five minutes. It was a roller coaster of emotions, “OMG YES SCHOOL’S OVER FOR 2 WEEKS” *a few days later* “oh god, people are dying left and right”. So you get my point. But hey at least we’re not 6 feet under :D. ... I feel like the government should throw a party with banners saying “CONGRATULATIONS KIDDO YOU’VE SURVIVED A PANDEMIC”. Okay, jokes aside, Covid changed a lot of things for me, but I'm not mad or upset about it. It feels better to be grateful for what I have right now, instead of sulking about the things I no longer have. I’m thankful for everything and for everyone and I sincerely hope this pandemic ends before 2022. With that, yours truly ends this essay.
Written May 2021