How do we feel about the changes relating to covid-19?
Change- the journey
- devansh mishra
Change is quite subjective for everyone. One might love moving into a new house so that they can meet new people and another might hate it in fear of losing his generation-old friends. This change we are experiencing is also quite similar. Being stuck at home with rules imposed on you is something no one likes. Being told not to do something you love is something no one wants. No one likes to keep a distance of six feet from a family member in public. We may look at the situation this way, or get a new perspective of things.
A chance of getting so many weeks with only your loved ones is an opportunity that may come only once in a lifetime. In a busy world, such as the one we are in, we don't get time to appreciate the simplicity of the world around us. When do we get the time to gaze out of our window and truly absorb the beauty of nature? You've always wanted to read a book lying around in your house but never got the time. You've always wanted to learn something new, but got caught up with other tasks. Now is the time to catch up with those pending jobs you promised yourself aeons ago!
In this time of everyone staying at home, the online school has become a significant change in our lives. Teachers scheduling classes two minutes before the lesson, because 'they are also very new to this system' is one of the many confusions that happen. Students playing pranks on each other by kicking them out of class or muting them in the middle of a sentence is amusing to some and enraging to others. If you think about it, online school isn't that much different from regular school. Teachers come in, show a presentation about their topic, more than half of the class zones out after five minutes, and the ones who pay attention answer all the teacher's questions. After the seemingly infinite forty minutes, the teacher packs up and leaves. The only significant difference is that we are not able to see and physically meet our friends, which I know everyone is missing - spending some quality time in the lunch and short break goofing around the school with their friends. We all are missing them right now, but there's nothing much we can do about that. We have to accept it as it is and think of it as a phase in your life.
These days are filled with uncertainties, with not knowing when this lockdown is going to end, or when we’ll return to the vigour of normal life. We have to fight through this and emerge more robust than ever. Also, an experience that's filled with looking at memes all day and Netflix and chill can't be that bad.
The immediate change
- maya sharma
“Rrrrring!” The day had ended, I could finally go home and watch Netflix! I waved goodbye to my friends and told them I was looking forward to what our teachers had planned for the next day. I got into my car and went home. It was a completely normal school day. I carried on with my after school schedule which was doing homework, relaxing, going to dance practice. After dance practice, I received an email from my school saying we were moving on to online school!
​
I was exhilarated! This was a new experience which I knew would be good. All the other International schools had moved onto HBL (home-based learning) and my friends had talked about how amazing it was. I knew these would be the best school days of my life! I had dreamt of it as wonderful magical days where we’d get to do very little work and have lots of fun!
It was 8 am, Monday morning, my first day of online school. I woke up with a bright smile on my face, that was the first that ever happened as I WAS NOT A MORNING PERSON. I got out of bed and practised my morning routine, brush my teeth, shower, eat breakfast. I keenly sat on my chair and started the day. I had wellbeing, English, PE, and art.
​
The day ended and I was so happy. This was amazing. Nothing could’ve been better. I got to wake up 2 hours late, I got to stay at home and I didn’t have to see my stingy vice principal! This continued on for another week and then I had my Easter break.
After my Easter break, I was excited to get back to HBL but there was something different. It didn’t feel right. As the days began to pass, I realized that HBL was not my thing.
​
I have headaches and eye pain every day, I just want this to end. I’m sick of Corona. I can’t see my friends and spend time with them the way I used to. I can’t leave the house, there are so many restrictions and I’m so done with it. Of course, there are also pros such as spending more time with my family, doing things that I never had time to do, etc. But I really do miss my normal life!
I pray for those who are stuck in hard situations and for those who are infected. I pray that this virus will soon go but till then, I will continue to do my part by staying indoors and practising social distancing.
Online school
- zoya gupta
During the month of March, Singapore saw a spike in COVID - 19 cases. We knew that there was a chance that our school was going to start online schooling, as they had brought the spring break two weeks earlier. Our school was scheduled to open after spring break on April 6. But just a few days before, we were informed by the school that we would be shifting to online schooling after the spring break.
As part of our online schooling schedule, our day would start at 8 AM every day, which is an hour later than the usual school schedule for me, since we don’t have a bus ride to take us to school anymore. Online schooling also meant that it would be a huge step up in the way we would do our work on a day-to-day basis. We would be spending less time doing paperwork, as almost everything has moved online. This was challenging, yet interesting. Our day would start with a brief video call with our homeroom teacher. This is the time where our teacher would explain the rest of the day to us, and a chance for us to ask any questions regarding the day. After the conversation with our homeroom teacher, we would swiftly move from one block to another throughout the day. Our time-table remained the same as the regular school - 8 AM to 3 PM. Home-based Learning (HBL), as we refer to it here in Singapore, has taught me many new skills and techniques on the laptop, as now I am spending more time on it and most of our work is online.
Even though I get to see my friends and classmates via Zoom, Google Meets, or any online platform, it somehow doesn’t feel the same as being with them in school. In HBL, it is mainly the teacher talking, as the rest of the students have their microphone muted and camera off. As the teacher is talking to his laptop, there isn’t much interaction with the rest of the class. Unless the teacher asks you to speak, all we do is listen. Most of the day is spent with us just sitting in one spot at our desk, staring at the laptop.
The first few days of HBL were really exciting for me, as I could wake up a bit late, and video call my class. Suddenly I don’t have my parents restricting me from so much screen time. It all sounded really exciting. But as the weeks passed by, I am feeling tired, and every morning it’s getting harder to go back to my laptop, for another seven to eight hours.
As everyone knows, I am an outdoor person. I always loved going swimming, playing badminton, hanging out with my friends and this was a fixed routine I had every evening and I would always wait for that part of the day. I absolutely looked forward to meeting them. But when Singapore announced the Circuit Breaker which meant that we were not allowed to meet people from other households or go out to the supermarket for essential things. I knew I couldn’t meet my friends anymore. I really miss sitting with my friends during recess and lunch and especially the bus rides as I loved having conversations with them. A lot of my school friends also live in my apartment complex, so we always spent a lot of time together. One of my favourite subjects in school is PE, as it’s so much fun and we all got active. But with HBL, one can’t really do PE with the rest of your class, as it is hard to interact with everyone.
I do understand how serious this COVID-19 situation is, as it has not only spread to Singapore but also other countries and almost everywhere schools have gone towards online learning. This was a difficult decision for the school to take. As much as I miss my friends and I’m really looking forward to meeting them, but I do understand that we have to be patient, responsible, and wait for this situation to get better. So I am doing my part and staying indoors.
the effect of the pandemic on us
- Lauren Carvalho
The disruption in daily life these past few months has forced us to adjust to completely different schedules. While some people struggle to accept this, others are more receptive and adapt to their new lifestyle easily. The pandemic has done much more than claim innocent lives; it has torn the economy apart, trapped us in our homes and caused nothing but stress and discomfort. But it has also had several positive impacts, which people tend to overlook.
One big change that I never thought I’d see was the rise of online schooling. The thought of having my entire classroom confined to a small computer screen didn’t even cross my mind before the pandemic hit. The whole idea of attending school online made me apprehensive, as I had never experienced something like it in the past. But I am now happy to say that I am getting used to the rhyme and rhythm of this process.
​
Of course, it couldn’t replace the experience I was getting at school; I do miss the laughs and giggles with my friends, or the excitement of the moment when the bell rang for lunch. Surprisingly, I’m even pining for the long and seemingly unending classes that I had! Yes, we do save time by attending classes from the comfort of our homes, and the journey to school every day in a stuffy and smelly bus for nearly two hours was definitely not my idea of fun.
But the task of getting up every morning just to sit in front of a screen the entire day gets quite monotonous and boring. The way to take the classes, however, itself is simple enough: all we do is turn our mic and video off and listen to a boring lecture. No one speaks unless spoken to and it turns the ‘interactive class experience’ into something very different. Most of my Zoom classes are filled with plenty of “Can you hear me now?” dialogues and a colossal amount of power cuts at home. Though these classes may seem convenient, it isn’t the most ideal.
Schools are doing so much to ensure that we keep our brains at work, and students definitely appreciate the effort. However, when school reopens and going outside is allowed again, I doubt there will be anyone happier than me.
Sudden Changes​​
- Snigdha dhameja
The beginning of 2020 wasn’t very auspicious, was it? Scrap the New Years’ resolutions, holiday planning and summer shopping; fate had other plans for us. Currently, the trending fashion statement is a hazmat suit and the word of the day is ‘lockdown’. The only beauty product you need is a sanitizer. There is no love in the air, only caution. But you couldn’t smell that either, not with the mask you have on.
For everyone, the going has been hard. Harder than it should. No one knew that one day, we would be stuck inside our homes, glued to our screens listening to what they called ‘online classes’. No one told you that you would have to run from one room to another because your WiFi connection faltered, or your laptop unexpectedly crashed during a lesson. Who knew, that instead of smelling the petrichor after a midsummer rain, that we would be inhaling the noxious fumes of disinfectant? The virus seems almost too unreal, too false a pretence to have changed our lives this much. Then again, this is our life now. Complaining won’t help us out here.
A tiny microbe, more than a millionth of our size, has managed to create the most mercurial of circumstances. Not even the music of Beethoven and Mozart, nor the art of Da Vinci and Botticelli created an impact of this kind. Science and technology has developed to such an extent that we have hundreds of labs working overtime to find a cure, a vaccine, anything to curb the spread of the pandemic, not with much luck though. People are now realising another side effect of the virus. But here’s the catch: you don’t actually need to contract the virus to go through this.
Anxiety has gripped those that sit idle in their homes, those who fear for their lives. The very question of existence has touched upon people’s minds. Oblivion could be looming over us, with its dark claws snatching away the last, thin sheath of hope that protects our race.
There are no more incredulous. To many, there is nothing incredible left. Even if we are at a standstill, slowly moving towards the end of society as we know it, there is something worth living for. Remember that people have gotten infected, and fought their way to good health. Every time you groan about not being able to go outside, be thankful that you are safe inside. Remember, every time you put on your mask or pump sanitizer into your hands, that soon, the world will go back to the way it was. That the virus will admit defeat, and this too, shall pass.
Online learning
- naila puri
When COVID-19 became the main topic of Singapore, it sort of woke everyone up to how serious it was. However, the schools still weren’t shutting down, which I think wasn’t a great move. It was better to keep everyone safe, than risk the health of everyone by going to school. However, someone from school got infected with the virus, and the school shut down on April 12.
We begin with classes starting at 8:55. The overall lesson timings were very different and there would be no individual time. Many teachers didn’t do a Google Meet or Zoom meeting because it was a ‘waste of time’. I thought it was a little selfish that they wouldn’t spare time for us. We were very new to this, and being thrown into it ourselves with no backup was scary. We all had to depend on each other for questions! The lunch timings were also very different, a huge gap than normal which was also foreign to us. However, I understand that with all the chaos and barely a weekend to prepare that it was a little disorganized. After the April break, the system got a lot better and we were moving much more efficiently.
​
So then, the new system is in order. School still started at 8:55, the lesson times were shortened to one hour for extra individual time for teachers to help with students, the lunchtimes stuck to original and school also finished as usual. It was definitely so much better than last time, because it was quite similar to normal, and it felt more normal too. My view of online school definitely changed after that and I looked at it as something I could possibly get used to. I felt more relaxed, comfortable, and most important of all, concentrated.
The screen part of it really got me. Usually, I liked my screen time. I used to go overboard with it sometimes and my parents had to stop me. Now, it was the opposite. My parents couldn’t stop me and everything we did was on a computer. I didn’t think it would be too bad at the start but at 3 pm, my eyes would droop and my head would pound with pain. So that’s the worst part of online school for me. But I don't complain, because we really don’t have any other choice than to stick with it.
​
Coming to the social viewpoint of all this. As I’m a very introverted person, I like socializing but I also need time away from all of it. This, however, was different. My friends and I did video calls a lot during school, and we would chat, work, and help each other. It was fun because you didn’t really get to do that in school. However, I still missed them even if I had chatted with them for over 3 hours. I missed the simple things you do like partner up for PE, do pair work, and eat lunch with them. Now I eat lunch with nothing but my Netflix. I hate it. But again, I’m not complaining, because it’s for the safety of everyone.
​
Overall, it kind of hit me hard. I’m an outdoor person, I have tons of classes and to have that taken away from me had a bigger impact than I thought it would. It’s funny how it took a deadly virus to take the world literally to its knees to help us realize all the things in life we should have been grateful for all along.
Pandemic and people
-snigdha dhameja
In the midst of this summer, where even the ripest mangoes try their best to alleviate the situation, all I can seem to do is look at the pink and orange sunset from my bedroom window, unable to go outside. Once, it sparked joy to see something so beautiful. But now, it is an almost taunting reminder of our sentence when I gaze longingly at the sky through a panel of thick glass.
Lockdown has given me time to think and delve deeper into my psyche. From my somewhat cynical approach to things and all the characteristics I seemed to possess, I am a much different person than I thought I was. I miss the past. I fear the future. The present is a mix of capricious catastrophes that threaten to shriek ‘checkmate’ upon society.
There are simpler things that blot out such horrific thoughts from my mind. I think of how my life was before. Especially the things and experiences I could bring to the present.
It’s not that I miss certain people; my social circle is small and tight enough to rival the girth of my smallest finger. Although I usually find comfort in being alone, what I miss most is the unspoken interaction. Even the presence of half-minded individuals (like-minded intellectuals are a rare, prized commodity these days), which used to give an unusual sense of joy. But most importantly, I miss the feeling you get when you realise that you aren’t alone in this world.
Thinking about the days I hated, the ones filled with people TikTok dancing on my screen, to the days where I felt invisible, yet accepted. They slipped by without a trace. And now, I find myself revelling in their memories. The ones I made in a world without bounds, regulations and fear.
Even though I said I don’t miss specific people, I regularly think about those that were there. Just there. Not friends, not acquaintances. Just people. Silent witnesses. Innocent passers-by swept continually around me with the churn of the present. Truth is, I miss being a part of something bigger, something greater than me, something involving more than just me.
I miss being a part of life.