The quarantine chronicles: Week 14

Ihave written for 14 weeks now on reflections, realizations, and thoughts that come about me here and there. As I read through all those articles, realized a roller coaster of emotions ensued that shifted from fear to panic, to anxiety, to choosing to seek the silver lining through it all. Yet, the constant theme of faith remains and abounds.

Undeniably, we were all affected by the pandemic. That is another recurring thought and truth. Unfortunately, however, some industries (and some individuals for that matter) were harder and more severely hit than others. Industries, which, in our eyes in the past may have appeared to be indestructible and unchangeable. Yet, here we all are today – at an unprecedented time where everyone – from business owners and government leaders, to overseas Filipino workers and daily wage earners – are tapping into their rainy day fund, clinging to resilience and innerstrength to get by. And so here begins a series on looking into a few industries at a time – that though affected in varying degrees, and have had to make changes in their “normal” and operations, remain unfazed and steadfast in the face of adversity. Determined to thread through.

Let us start out with the restaurant industry. Beyond the stringent hygiene and social distance protocols, in addition to the limited capacity they are able to accommodate and have to comply with these days, comes the gamble of opening for dine-in, and operating at skeletal work forces in the face of the publics fear. Let us face it. While some semblance of normalcy has returned and progressively increases as the weeks go by, how many people are actually ready to dine out at the risk of exposure to the invisible enemy? There will be varying answers, yes, but what I am certain of is that it will not be what it used to be – at least not right away. And in those months, those restaurant owners have to thread through. It will not be easy, but knowing how satisfied they have made many, myself included, by choosing to open even during the height of the pandemic for take-out and delivery is already a fulfillment in and of its own. They can proudly wear that frontline badge of honor, as they provided alternatives to tired moms who needed a break from cooking on some days, or simply for those who wanted to satisfy a nostalgic craving that only a certain restaurant dish could satisfy. Indeed,

food provides comfort, and certain flavors tickle the taste buds and trigger those happy hormones – something we needed, and continue to long for.

And then there is the world of education – not only here in the Philippines, but all over the world. From public schools, to small private schools, all the way to the renowned Ivy League institutions – no one is spared in the changes that had to, and need to be made for the incoming school year, as well as the pending decisions on how to carry out various programs. While a lot have resorted to online learning, we must face the truth that nothing compares, and can ever replace physical social interaction – in promoting and enhancing cognition and socio-development skills in the early years, to reinforcing learning in the mid-years, and stimulating discussion in the later years. Sitting in front of the computer the whole day (albeit in the comforts of ones’ home) does not provide the same quality of learning as face-to-face interaction does. Even individual learners gain from the insights of group discussions and the questioning of others. Let us not forget the Third World countries (such as ours) who face the ugly reality of having students who cannot afford a computer, and communities unable to provide and facilitate services for online learning. While I believe provisions have been put by the government in place as

not to hamper and hinder the continuous learning of its students, my sentiments follow through – learning via worksheets and workbooks without a physical teacher and classmates is not as effective. Truly, the education industry all over the world is going through a lot of road bumps at the moment, but I am confident that fall short of a vaccine roll-out which will enable us to return to normal (as we knew it) faster, whatever momentary substitute students have to make do with for now will be heavily compensated and made up for once things normalize.

It is in these moments when we realize most not necessarily only how much we took things that were part of our everyday ordinary normal for granted, but how much they actually matter in the grander scheme of things. A restaurant business and education are only two of the many industries that are continuing to power through to comply with the evolving and undergoing changes happening. But these are also two of the industries that provide us a sense of comfort and appeal to our emotions. In my books, these are definitely two of the industries I will never look at the same way again, and that I will continue to make an effort to appreciate, patronize and advocate for in the years to come.