Pandemic Pandemonium
Posted: Sat May 22, 2021 3:46 pm
With the vaccination campaigns in order, it feels as if the credits are about to roll, and the film is ending. This gives me the opportunity to drench myself in nostalgia and revisit the covid landscape before the scientists gifted us our little vial of hope. As I walk down the memory lane, the pandemic pandemonium’s personal toil comes into focus.
Firstly, the mental challenges packed quite a punch. The confinement and loneliness were truly insufferable. I was quarantined 4 times over the course of the pandemic: thrice because I had travelled internationally and once because I had come in contact with a false positive covid patient. Thinking of all the times I spent 14 days in a closed space-without the privilege of even going for a walk- makes me feel as if the walls are closing in upon me. However, I utilized this spare time to be the healthiest I have been in years. I religiously followed the #ChloeTingChallenge and worked out with the goal of having a gorgeous waist and abs. without quarantine and lockdown, healthy minahil would have been merely a faded fantasy.
I spent the lockdown period at my uncle’s house where I reside in Pakistan while my parents stay in UAE. Since he is a diabetic patient, we were extra careful regarding covid precautions. We rarely left the house except for early morning or late-night walks. One day, an online shopping order for my aunt had arrived at the community gate and she had to collect it. Her kids and I insisted that she take us along as we had not left the house in months. I remember all of us filled to the brim with joy and delight. The air of celebration was amplified by loud music and hum of the car which sounded almost alien after so long. In that moment, when the wind caressed my hair and the only thing truly contagious was laughter, I longed to stop time. To not go back to being locked in the house. But perhaps, without the confinement, the joy would not have existed.
When I came to IST, I initially had a terrible time. I hated the confusion, the prolonged monotonous online classes and of course the wait. It is said that waiting is one of the hardest things to do. I have to agree with whatever genius in history said these golden words. Every week was spent waiting for some new update. Some good news. Some flattening of the curve. Anything at all. I think I am still waiting for normalcy to return while a part of me is colored in light blues of face masks, accepting that this is the new normal.
Lastly, I think the government handled the crisis quite well. However, educational institutions somewhat failed at providing adequate support to students during these testing times. With no additional adjustments made to cater for weaker students or those who require more help to understand the same concepts, I feel like some of us have really struggled to keep up. I wish our educational institutions took student feedback with more than just a grain of salt. Thankfully though, my peers have been quite supportive, and I am truly grateful for that.
Writing about the pandemic is a little challenging for me because I lost a bit of my sanity somewhere along the road along with the opportunity to say goodbye to my A level friends. I missed countless events, wisps of fresh air, moments without paranoia and strangers who smiled at me from behind a mask. There is more that I cannot pen because my hands and my words would both fail me. So, I guess I will leave my reader and myself with a quote that helps me hold on:
‘Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back. That's part of what it means to be alive.’
Even with an air of death all around, Murakami’s despondent quote somehow provides a semblance of comfort.
-Minahil
Reg. 094
Batch Aero-19 A
Firstly, the mental challenges packed quite a punch. The confinement and loneliness were truly insufferable. I was quarantined 4 times over the course of the pandemic: thrice because I had travelled internationally and once because I had come in contact with a false positive covid patient. Thinking of all the times I spent 14 days in a closed space-without the privilege of even going for a walk- makes me feel as if the walls are closing in upon me. However, I utilized this spare time to be the healthiest I have been in years. I religiously followed the #ChloeTingChallenge and worked out with the goal of having a gorgeous waist and abs. without quarantine and lockdown, healthy minahil would have been merely a faded fantasy.
I spent the lockdown period at my uncle’s house where I reside in Pakistan while my parents stay in UAE. Since he is a diabetic patient, we were extra careful regarding covid precautions. We rarely left the house except for early morning or late-night walks. One day, an online shopping order for my aunt had arrived at the community gate and she had to collect it. Her kids and I insisted that she take us along as we had not left the house in months. I remember all of us filled to the brim with joy and delight. The air of celebration was amplified by loud music and hum of the car which sounded almost alien after so long. In that moment, when the wind caressed my hair and the only thing truly contagious was laughter, I longed to stop time. To not go back to being locked in the house. But perhaps, without the confinement, the joy would not have existed.
When I came to IST, I initially had a terrible time. I hated the confusion, the prolonged monotonous online classes and of course the wait. It is said that waiting is one of the hardest things to do. I have to agree with whatever genius in history said these golden words. Every week was spent waiting for some new update. Some good news. Some flattening of the curve. Anything at all. I think I am still waiting for normalcy to return while a part of me is colored in light blues of face masks, accepting that this is the new normal.
Lastly, I think the government handled the crisis quite well. However, educational institutions somewhat failed at providing adequate support to students during these testing times. With no additional adjustments made to cater for weaker students or those who require more help to understand the same concepts, I feel like some of us have really struggled to keep up. I wish our educational institutions took student feedback with more than just a grain of salt. Thankfully though, my peers have been quite supportive, and I am truly grateful for that.
Writing about the pandemic is a little challenging for me because I lost a bit of my sanity somewhere along the road along with the opportunity to say goodbye to my A level friends. I missed countless events, wisps of fresh air, moments without paranoia and strangers who smiled at me from behind a mask. There is more that I cannot pen because my hands and my words would both fail me. So, I guess I will leave my reader and myself with a quote that helps me hold on:
‘Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back. That's part of what it means to be alive.’
Even with an air of death all around, Murakami’s despondent quote somehow provides a semblance of comfort.
-Minahil
Reg. 094
Batch Aero-19 A