The Year the World Hit Pause.
Name of Mask: See things and Say Nothing.
Medium Used: Pen and Ink. Acrylic, Canson Mixed Media.
History has shown that a pandemic can force humans to re-imagine their world. They can either choose to walk through it with the knowledge that it is empty and dead, or they can carry on with their lives and fight for it. There are no simple solutions to the pandemic. Instead, we are all affected by it in various ways.Ā
Reading about other peopleās experiences can help us understand what we are going through and remind us that what weāre going through is both unique and shared by all. While I was there, I heard about the coronavirus on all the headlining news. I remember sitting with my co-workers during my lunch break, talking about it, and how I was sure it would never make its way to California.Ā
After one weekĀ our school, Elevate Elementary, shutdown and transitioned to distance learning without any knowledge of how we are going to move forward. I worked two jobs and my other employer had to stop operating the whole summer. Social distancing took place. Eventually, everyone started panic buying, people started being selfish, hoarders and sellers took advantage, riots, crimes, others took matters in their hands. Fortunately, I was in a better place.Ā
I continue to practice social distancing, wearing my mask, washing my hands, and cleaning and sanitizing my home and workplace every day.Ā
I have pondered sadly about all the memories and experiences that have been lost. All the shake-hands, hugs, and kisses that never happened. I have been tested for COVID once a month since the start of the pandemic and thankfully my test results haveĀ always come back negative. Although I had no symptoms of being ill, I still wanted to be sure.
Each day that passed I became more and moreĀ paranoid. My friends, my family, the people that I care for were in my mind. One thing that hurt the most was not being able to physically see my momĀ and dad. As they are still living in the Philippines. Not being able to see my family breaks my heart and with the season of COVID, it was ten times harder.
I was sad and miserable. I started to feel depression and anxiety kick in. SoĀ I reached out for help for my mental health. I was really struggling emotionally.
Everyone I know seems to be falling apart in some way or another. Everyone is uncomfortable.
But here we are, almost more than a year later. How many people have we lost to this virus and pandemic? Since we cannot hibernate our way out of this period, we must muddle through, feeling the shifts and discomforts that the pandemic has brought. The ways in which the pandemic has changed so much of how we live ā from the small to the large, from how and when we are going to work, to how we buy our food, and even how we mourn. It is all so exhausting.
I needed some support for myself and I found ways to deal with my issues. My therapist prescribed me some medications and recommended ways to recuperate. I needed to set boundaries that are healthy. I tried living the year like itās gonna end tomorrow.
My sudden obsession with houseplant started. There is something that is just completely awe-inspiring about having a living organism. I was designed for connection and nurturing.Ā And somehow it kept me busy, there is a corner in my house so called āMy Happy Placeā.
I began appreciating my time alone with my dog. Long walks at the beach, running at a fast phase, exercising a lot. Hiking and going places that Iāve never been but still making sure Iām maintaining distance when Iām in public. Eating much healthier food and drinking all my supplements to boost my immune system.
In a time when we canāt see friends and family as much as we used to, some might be struggling to find the right ways to stay connectedĀ and yes they still mean the world to us. Sure, the video chats, virtual dance parties and game nights were fun at first. But with the heaviness of the last few months, high-tech communication solutions have started to lose their luster.Ā
I redirect my attention to getting back into art. Thereās no wrong way to do it. Just make sure that you do it in a way that makes sense to the person who is going to appreciate it. The skill level doesnāt matter. The neat thing about drawing is that you can express yourself in ways that you wouldnāt necessarily express yourself face-to-face. Isolation with my creativity made me feel so much better with the pandemic outside of my home.
2020 has turned out to be a year where we all were tested. It has turned out to be a year where I have learned how to find my way out, how to walk slowly but surely, how to find my way back to where I belong, and how grateful I am for what I have.
What is like when you canāt go home.
Name of Mask: Travel Ban.
Medium Used: Pen and Ink. Acrylic, Moleskine
I have continuously prided myself on being an insatiable traveler, going new places is not new to me. The year was 2020, on the 12th of February, after long fruitful years, I got my American citizenship. Some of us are lucky to be born into this country. I have to pave a way into my citizenship and still be proud of my Heritage! Filipino heart with American Dreams.
I love to travel. And whenever I can afford to, I pick up and go. Where am I going next? Nowhere! Like many of you, Iām on lockdown in California.
I was excited to go to Rome, France, Amsterdam, Russia and all the beautiful countries that I have in mind. My plan to go back home to the Philippines is finally falling into place! Iām homesick for my childhood bed and family members and home cooking.
The corona virus outbreak, which temporarily shuttered many of my favorite places, made me realize how much I took my social life for granted.Ā
Now I have this slow, intensifying ache in the pit of my stomach. Itās a familiar feeling, but not one Iām particularly used to.Itās a strange feeling to watch your home collectively experience a crisis from the other side of the ocean.
I was aching to go home. My parents, my brother, my friends and the people I care with. Every country is in lockdown. Is the world ending? I have spent a lot of time on the internet. And yes, thatās the only thing we can do being isolated 24/7. I've readĀ some articles about how coronavirus is a terrorist act or how this is an act of plagues in the book of Revelation. So many conspiracies and I don't know what to believe anymore.
Being stuck at home, Iāve developed serious cabin fever. And Iām eating way too many snacks and mostly just stress eating because of not being able to go anywhere.Ā
The year 2020 has been easy for me to become frustrated, scared and downright angry. But we canāt just focus on the bad. We should use this moment to reflect on the good in life. And we must be as productive as we can.
When we look back on this moment years from now, weāll remember how people came together, how governments reacted and learned, and how we didnāt realize the freedoms we had until they were taken away.Ā
If I look through the darkness hard enough though, there is a sliver of light in all of this.
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