It is indeed, time flies so fast. One year of battling the COVID-19 and it just feels like it happened yesterday. During that one year of facing the pandemic, many things had happened. Yet, we are still experiencing the same situation in the first months of the pandemic and it even got worse. Mainly because one year had passed but we still do not have mass testing, enhanced community quarantine was imposed for the nth time since the cases are getting higher each day, there is no proper distribution of financial assistance from the government as well as the controversial vaccines.
The first months of the pandemic last 2020 have been a hard time for me and the whole family. We, just like all of us, had a hard time adjusting to the new normal. We are forced to stay in our homes, and many lives were greatly affected by this pandemic. Honestly, I was covered in fear and full of regret during those times because all the plans I have for the year 2020 had gone all of a sudden. I am scared of the fact that maybe this would not end and everything would not go back to normal.
After almost 5 months of staying at home, I suddenly forget how the outside world looks like. This may sound funny, but it was a reality for me. While I enjoy my time staying at home -- lying in my bed, eating a variety of food, and my only problem is what would I do the next day to kill the time, and adjust to the new set-up, there a lot of people risking their lives on the streets and the different parts of the world just to ease their hunger and to feed their family. Especially the front-liners who risk their lives just to protect ours. The fact that they chose to be apart from their families to fulfill their duties made them earned our highest form of respect.
I still remember the feeling when I first went outside after several months of staying at home-- it feels surreal. Everything feels weird and strange for me. Then the school year had started -- another adjustment to make. At first, it is really stressful and heartbreaking to see my friends and classmates on screen because I really miss them so much especially our professors who became our second parents. I have a strong connection to my family-- I can tell them my problems and other stuff but for me, it is not enough. Being an extrovert individual, I am used to going outside and hang out with my friends from time-to-time that made me miss them so badly because during those times we only communicate through social media.
Fast-forward to the present, my way of releasing my stress brought by academic workloads and other duties, aside from spending time with my family is by making time with my childhood best friends. Every night, when we all have free time, we spend our time bonding together -- eating, drinking moderately and sharing problems but still, we strictly follow safety protocols and guidelines so that we would all be safe. Whenever I make time with them, it enables me to function well and do my tasks on time without compromising the quality of my work. They contributed a huge part to keep me sane and work on my mental health that is why I am grateful to have them during the darkest days of my life.