By Eesha Aziz
(Photo by Bashir for The New York Times)
An unbelievable change has occurred in all our lives. Almost two months ago, I was in my school giving mocks exams. It feels much longer than that. The mocks exams were to prepare us for Cambridge Assessment International Education(CAIE) exams, which are the most important exams in the life of O and A levels students; their future depends on it. I still remember it was the 11th of March, a student in the girls’ common room started a conversation about Coronavirus. It allowed us to talk about our emotions and reactions to an emerging and uncertain situation. The discussion on covid19 was continued till the football ground. After a long talk, I had to say goodbye to my friends, as my car had arrived. At the school gate, I saw three students standing with tense facial expressions.
In school, after my exam on Friday, March 13, I saw those three students again standing outside the examination hall. They were discussing this pandemic situation, and one of them was visibly upset and fighting back tears. I went over to participated in their discussion and asked their opinion on the current situation and about the rumor of exams being canceled. After listening to what they were feeling I started thinking about all the students who have worked so hard, putting in countless effort in their academics, doing past papers practice, giving most of their time to studies, only for their pursuits to end unexpectedly. And then I started thinking of students in their senior year who are so close to the finish line and who are surely excited about a graduation ceremony. But customary rituals like commencement are up in the air at colleges and universities nationwide. It’s too early to tell how our lives will continue to be disrupted in ways ranging from minor inconveniences to major emergencies.
My siblings are 16 and 15 years old, in 11th and 9th grade, and their schools are closed for at least two months. We are extremely fortunate to be in a position that we, for the time being, can readily adjust to an unanticipated situation. My mother, who is working in a school that is currently closed, and it appears as though she’ll be home the same amount of time as me and my siblings. The same is the case with my father; he is also at home spending time with all of us.
Things got difficult when the online classes started. The online classes became very stressful due to the internet, being used by 4 people for online classes and meetings. This made it difficult for students, especially in 9th grade and below, in understanding the concepts of what they were studying as kids were not physically interacting with teachers. Moreover, these holidays and work from home became more stressful when CAIE got canceled. After a few days they gave a heart-sinking update which said that the grades on this O and A level batch will be based on expected grades and the evidence they will be provided by the school. When the update came the students started panicking, started messaging their teachers. The messages told how upset students are, with the common questions being, ‘what is going to happen now’, ‘how can we be graded when we didn’t give any exam?’. Discussions began on the groups; students were confused about their future, they didn't know how to react, what to do in this situation. As a result of these updates came assignments and online tests that got kids tenser, as those were being used for the grades they are going to get in CAIE.
However, I felt that all this is not more important than our health. I wondered that the situation would have been much more strenuous if our parents had jobs that required them to physically be at a workplace right now, or if their income changed drastically. I’m very anxious for people who don’t have their regular salaries or any source of income they can count on. All of that also made me wonder what happens when the rent, utilities, student loan payment of universities, credit cards, and car payments are due? And what happens to businesses that suddenly have had to close? All this will result in a low economy, and we can watch that downfall in real-time.
So far we’ve seen pictures on social media or televised news stories of people carrying on as though things are normal and we aren’t in the early stages of a pandemic. We’ve also seen a lot of images of markets jam-packed with people, traffic still getting jammed, and those empty shelves where there used to be hand sanitizer. I’m the kind of person who “takes it all in,” and that’s what I’ve been doing so far. I’m evaluating information, trying to interpret what’s changing in society, and trying to comprehend the various ways people are behaving.
It seems to me like a lot of us are trying to get a grip on a fast-changing situation that is leaving us bewildered, anxious, and scared. I can understand a person grabbing a whole bunch of masks and hand sanitizers. It’s something they can control in the short term. I was discussing with my family that I’m happy gas, oil and petrol prices are relatively low, at least for now. If the prices were rapidly increasing there would likely be chaos at gas stations.
Here in Pakistan, we’re accustomed to people having huge lines in front of gas and petrol stations. Here there are places full of pollution due to which a lot of people get sick. You worry about people who are sick or elderly, or who face medical emergencies. You think of women who are due to give birth and wonder if they’ll be able to get to a hospital okay. No doubt, people face severe challenges in those situations, and some people get injured, and, tragically, there are instances when people die.
With the pandemic all these problems are hard to address, as people can't go to each other's houses to check on elders, and even if they get sick, we can’t go to them due to the high chance of infection. What is worrying me more is the feeling of elders, our grandparents, how heartbroken and devastated they must be, for not meeting their families. This year, I celebrated my birthday in quarantine, so I was unable to do it with my grandmother. However, at 2 o’clock in the night, I requested my parents to take me to her house just to cut the cake, after a huge argument they agreed. When I went to her house and cut the cake, she began to cry. Her tears made me realize how hard it must have been for our elders to be away from us.
Previously when someone was in pain and going through a hard time, we told them everything is going to be okay and will be back to normal, but I’m wondering what “normal” means right now in our society. Being realistic about the possibility of a “new normal” is something necessary and time-consuming. Some people say that this virus can stay for more than a year maybe and our whole lifestyle will adapt to accommodate COVID-19. People will gradually adapt to the environment, and many will be online. People will minimize socializing and prefer isolation. Personally, I like to do things for the community and love social work, but with the current situation, I am unable to do so.
The pandemic presents an overwhelming medical, emotional, psychological, and social crisis for which most of us haven’t been trained and aren’t prepared for. This is a time when we’ll be challenged to cultivate social solidarity, which includes interdependence, protecting vulnerable people, developing concern for the common good, and making policies that benefit public well-being.
I just hope that we rise, stay strong, and take the challenge. It’s impossible to know where we’ll be 30 days from now, or 60, or 360. I hope we are creative, bold, compassionate, and flexible in our thinking and policy-making. The most important is to not give up and become more creative. This is a time given to us as a break from hectic routines, to follow and cultivate our passions.
Before I conclude, I want to acknowledge and appreciate some of the people who are working to hold the fabric of society together: workers at grocery stores, food bank employees and volunteers, medical care professionals, public health workers, sanitation and maintenance workers, fast-food workers and other service employees, truck drivers and delivery workers, public transit workers, utility workers, business owners, law enforcement professionals, firefighters, and of course, the internet service providers without whom work from home would be virtually impossible. That’s not a full list, and I mean no insult to any group not mentioned. Those are just some of the people who come to mind as I write this.
Finally, I would like to ask you, how are you doing? What changes have you experienced, noticed so far in your daily life, in your community, and broader society? What changes do you anticipate soon? What policy ideas do you think are needed? In what ways can we be good neighbors and members of society in these challenging times? How are you utilizing this time and being creative? What is your passion and how are you working on it in this situation?
During my school hours after my exam on Friday, March 13, I saw those three students again standing outside the examination hall. They were discussing this pandemic situation. One of them was visibly upset and fighting back tears. I went over to take part in their discussion and asked their opinion on the current situation and about the rumor of exams being canceled that had been spreading around. After listening to what they were feeling I started thinking about all the students who have worked so hard, putting in countless effort in studying, doing past papers practice, giving most of their time to studies, only for their pursuits to end unexpectedly. And then I started thinking of students in their senior year who are so close to the finish line and who are surely excited about a graduation ceremony. But customary rituals like a commencement event are up in the air at colleges and universities nationwide. It’s too early to tell how our lives will continue to be disrupted in ways ranging from minor inconveniences to major emergencies.
My siblings are 16 and 15 years old, in 11th and 9th grade, and their schools are closed for at least two months. We are extremely fortunate to be in a position that we, for the time being, can readily adjust to an unanticipated situation. My mother who is also working in my school which is currently closed, and it appears as though she’ll be home the same amount of time as me and my siblings. The same is the case with my father; he is also at home spending time with all of us.
Things got difficult and stressful when the online classes started. The online classes became very difficult due to the internet, being used by 4 people for online classes and office work. They made it difficult for students, especially in 9th grade and below, in understanding the concepts of what they were studying as kids were not physically interacting with teachers. Moreover, these holidays and work from home became more stressful when CAIE got canceled. After a few days they gave a heart-sinking update which said that the grades on this O and A level batch will be based on expected grades and the evidence they will be provided by the school. When the update came the students started panicking, started messaging their teachers. The messages told how stressed students are, they texted ‘what is going to happen now’, ‘how can we be graded when we didn’t give any exam?’. Discussions began on the groups; students were confused about their future, they didn't know how to react, what to do in this situation. As a result of these updates came assignments and online tests which got kids in more tension as those were being used for the grades they are going to get in CAIE.
However, I felt that all this is not more important than our health. I started to wonder that all the situation would have been so strenuous if our parents had jobs that required them to physically be at a workplace right now, or if their income changed drastically. I’m very anxious for people who don’t have their regular salaries or any source of income they can count on. All of that also made me wonder what happens when the rent, utilities, student loan payment of universities, credit cards, and car payments are due? And what happens to businesses that suddenly have had to close? All this will result in a low economy, and we can watch that downfall in real-time.
So far we’ve seen pictures on social media or televised news stories of people carrying on as though things are normal and we aren’t in the early stages of a pandemic. We’ve also seen a lot of images of markets jam-packed with people, traffic still getting jammed, and those empty shelves where there used to be hand sanitizer. I’m the kind of person who “takes it all in,” and that’s what I’ve been doing so far. I’m evaluating information, trying to interpret what’s changing in society, and trying to comprehend the various ways people are behaving.
It seems to me like a lot of us are trying to get a grip on a fast-changing situation that is leaving us bewildered, anxious, and scared. I can understand a person grabbing a whole bunch of masks and hand sanitizers. It’s something they can control in the short term. I was discussing with my family that I’m happy gas, oil and petrol prices are relatively low, at least for now. If the prices were rapidly increasing there’d likely be chaos at gas stations.
Here in Pakistan, we’re accustomed to people having huge lines in front of gas and petrol stations. Here there are places full of pollution due to which a lot of people get sick. You worry about people who are sick or elderly, or who face medical emergencies. You think of women who are due to give birth and wonder if they’ll be able to get to a hospital okay. No doubt, people face severe challenges in those situations, and some people get injured, and, tragically, there are instances when people die.
With the pandemic all these problems are hard to be addressed as people can't go to each other's houses to check on elders and even if they get sick we can’t go to them due to the high chance of everyone getting coronavirus. What is worrying me more is the feeling of elders, our grandparents, how heartbroken and devastated they are for not seeing their family for a long time. This year as my birthday came in this pandemic era so I was not able to celebrate it with my grandmother. However, at 2 o’clock in the night, I requested my parents to take me to her house just to cut the cake, after a big huge argument they agreed. When I went to her house and the cake cutting ceremony started, she began to cry so much. Her crying made me realize how hard it must have been for our elders to be away from us.
Previously when someone was in pain and going through hard times we usually tell them everything is going to be okay and will be back to normal, but I’m wondering what “normal” means right now in our society. Being realistic about the possibility of a “new normal” is something huge and will take a year or so. Some people say that this virus can stay for more than a year maybe and our whole lifestyle could be changed for years. People will gradually adapt to the environment, and many will be online. People will stop socializing and would prefer isolation. As I am a kind of person who likes to do things for the community and loves social work with this pandemic I am unable to do any social work as my parents and I feel it is not safe at all to go out this way instead of helping we can get a lot of people sick.
The Coronavirus pandemic presents an overwhelming medical, emotional, psychological, and social crisis for which most of us haven’t been trained and aren’t prepared for. This is a time when we’ll be challenged to cultivate social solidarity, which includes interdependence, protecting vulnerable people, developing concern for the common good, and making policies that benefit public well-being.
I just hope that we rise, stay strong, and take the challenge. It’s impossible to know where we’ll be 30 days from now, or 60, or 360. I hope we are creative, bold, compassionate, and flexible in our thinking and policy-making. The most important is to not give up and become more creative. This is a time nature gave us to follow our passion and work on it.
Before I conclude, I want to acknowledge and appreciate some of the people who are working to hold the fabric of society together: workers at grocery stores, food bank employees and volunteers, medical care professionals, public health workers, sanitation and maintenance workers, fast-food workers and other service employees, truck drivers and other delivery workers, public transit workers, utility workers, business owners, law enforcement professionals, firefighters and how can I forget the most important people the internet service providers without them all the works and schools would be stopped, counselors and educators, the journalists. That’s not a full list, and I mean no insult to any group not mentioned. Those are just some of the people who come to mind as I write this.
Finally, I would like to ask you, how are you doing? What changes have you experienced, noticed so far in your daily life, in your community, and broader society? What changes do you anticipate soon? What policy ideas do you think are needed? In what ways can we be good neighbors and members of society in these challenging times? How are you utilizing this time and being creative? What is your passion and how are you working on it in this situation?
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