A Teen's Diary: My Corona Lockdown Report Card
The lockdown has been a dampener on so many counts. But what it taught us is invaluable
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“Wouldn’t it be great to enjoy six-month vacations twice a year?” I have heard this surface on social media so often in the early days of the lockdown, but now that we seem to be in the midst of one long quarantine, it doesn’t seem so appealing, does it?
Like many of my friends, my 14-year-old self has hit the pause button on socializing. I am also staying away from social media to avoid all the depressing news over the past month that has sometimes made me want to rip my hair out. For someone who is quite picky about her friends, the twin strategies of social distancing and staying off social media should have been a blessing, except that they aren’t. In fact, I would argue that this distancing business is not a win-win situation, at all, not even for introverts.
On the other hand, there’s no denying that the lockdown has made me do and learn things I normally avoid. It’s got to the point where I am voluntarily offering to tidy my bookshelf daily, while also preparing my own breakfast to the tune of my favourite albums. Over the past month, I have also tried my hand at baking, cooked a romantic dinner for my parents, and looked for songwriting inspiration. I have also mastered the art of making tea of the Misra-khandaan kind—with very little milk, no sugar and overboiled tea leaves.
It also seems that despite my best efforts to stay offline, there are some crazy internet trends I keep bumping into. The Dalgona coffee rage, for example, which is basically how coffee is made in north Indian kitchens, madly stirring coffee sugar and milk in a coffee mug to get heaps of froth! Oh, and so many people who scorned at TikTok videos are now heaping praise on it for providing them a break from boredom. Even my parents! But the best thing has been the new music I have found. Really, never let go of friends who introduce you to new music. In this lockdown, I have been able to listen to plenty of new music, which has made it a little more bearable than it would have been.
Our online classes have been a revelation. Though 40 minutes long, they have meant some kind of routine and familiarity in these uncertain times. Never had I thought I would actually yearn for my teachers’ voices, asking me to turn in my homework. And funnily enough, I am now able to eat while ‘in class’! The pandemic will, no doubt, make it to the history textbooks in the coming years. Who knows if our kids will learn about it in their classes?
But more than anything else, I sorely miss my friends. The next time I meet them, I’ll probably give them a long, tight hug. But, truth be told, the lockdown has made me grow up a bit—it has allowed me to introspect on the importance of reconnecting with myself and realize that spending a few nights away from media or meeting people won’t kill me.
But mostly, it has taught me the benefits of a finely-brewed cup of tea, enjoyed with my family!
