2020 signified the beginning of my adult life: my first time living alone and my first full time job. I was really looking forward to it. In fact, I even wrote about it being the year of "perfect vision". Little did any of us know what 2020 would bring. I had never imagined something like this could happen in a time of advanced technology and medicine. I mean this is 2020! We're supposed to be driving around in flying cars and living till a hundred if not more. We aren't supposed to cooped up in our homes or be dying by the thousands. This virus has directly or indirectly affected every single person on earth.
How have I been affected? Well, I am currently working from home. As a teacher, this isn't the most ideal situation. However, I'm very grateful to my workplace for providing free high speed wifi, which has definitely made things a lot easier. I spend at least four hours a day working on my laptop. Students message me every few minutes asking questions about how to open an assignment or how to use google classrooms. Even though it can get bothersome at times, I am patient with them. I understand that this is as new to them as it is to me. I also realize that not all students have the same resources. I'm trying my best to be patient and understanding yet firm.
I've never fully worked online. Well, there was that one online class that I took in college. I actually enjoyed that a lot. I didn't look forward to face-to-face classes especially when it came to those huge classrooms with hundreds of students. With my social anxiety, I did not love the idea of being in a room with full of strangers. In fact, the online classes felt more personal.
However, as a teacher, I do not necessarily have the same feelings about online lessons. It's much easier to explain concepts face to face, adjusting my teaching methods depending on the students' reactions. Online teaching is much harder, especially in Bhutan. Not all places have good internet connection, and even in the places that do, it can get quite expensive. There is an apparent disparity among the students. As teachers, it is important to keep equity, not equality, in our minds.
Personally, I've been trying to look at the bright side of this whole thing. This could be a year of self reflection and personal growth. You know those retreats up in the mountains that people pay to go to? Well, this could be like that. To be honest, I don't really have a problem with social distancing. I've always enjoyed being by myself. It's almost like I've been practising for this my whole life.
I realize that this will probably be the only time in my life (hopefully) where I don't have any social obligations. I've finally got the time to do all the things I have been meaning to do. I try to work out at home, usually Zumba, since I don't really enjoy exercising but I do enjoy dancing (not that I'm any good at it). I've been cooking lately as well, trying out simple recipes from Tik Tok. I have also been taking a few online courses which have been really fun. I intend to continue this even after quarantine ends. I've finally finished reading a book that I had started around 6 months ago. I'm looking forward to reading books that have been lying on my shelf for ages. I have also been keeping up with global and national news. Even though it can be depressing at times, I think it's really important to know what is going on around the world. Even more so as a teacher, I must have news from authentic sources at all times in case a student asks.
I have started a quarantine journal. Actually, I wouldn't call it a journal. It's more of like an activity book where I draw images or write short descriptions of my activities throughout the day. Initially, I wanted to keep a journal where I write down my feelings at the end of each day. However, I would skip most days because I would be too lazy. On the other hand, with this picture journal, it's actually really fun. I use a bunch of colourful pens to draw out each activity. I also have a mood chart where each colour represents a mood. I use these colours to keep track of my different moods throughout the day. This diary has also helped increase my productivity. On days when I see an empty page, it makes me want do more. I also think it would be a great archive for future generations to get a deeper look into the lives of people during the Great Corona Pandemic of 2020.
Even though the world opens up again, it'll be many years until we go back to the norm. What would be the norm after Covid-19 anyways?
This pandemic has taught us more than anything about the unpredictability of life. I hope that when we get through this, we will become stronger and wiser, better as an individual and a community.