Characterbuilding while on lockdown
Instead of sitting down there and crying like a baby, I decided to find a way
It looks like the world has stopped. This is what I’ve been thinking about lately. The things we do day after day have suddenly become more complicated. Every step comes with a precaution because one wrong move could give you the virus running rampant across the world. Welcome to the COVID-19 lockdown.
On the morning of 16 March 2020, my mother informed us that President Rodrigo Duterte had declared a total lockdown or “enhanced community quarantine,” which means people could not enter or exit a particular place at will. Now that the coronavirus is nearly everywhere in the country, it has become very risky to even step outside of our house. After that announcement, people started panic-buying. Of course, they do not want to catch the virus, too. That’s when it got hard, especially for people my age.
Ever since the lockdown, I’ve been through some hardships. First of all, I still had to think of my grades. Since exam week had been canceled, I needed to do a few things to make up for the lost time. I had to spend a week fretting over requirements and making them look presentable to show that I was actually working. It was hard. I had to spend nights making my own program in VisualBasic and I had to wake up early for a cosplay video I was working on. I also had to show my Science notes and scores to my teacher. Our class was asked to send some stuff, usually to designated Google Drive files, and that scared me a bit because I didn’t have much experience with it. “What should I do? What should I do?” I asked myself repeatedly during those times.
Instead of sitting down there and crying like a baby, I decided to find a way. Finally, I got to pass my requirements on time. After that, I felt a sense of pride, not only because all my troubles during that time were over but because I did it on my own. I learned that it feels great after doing something on your own especially when the job is challenging.
The experience developed my patience and discipline when it came to things that I want to do or have.
Another challenge was the food. Unlike before, access to our fridge was restricted because the food and supplies stored there could be contaminated and needed proper cleaning. If I did want something from it, I had to ask my father so he can clean it first. Also, if my parents were not home, I had to wait. Despite that, I took it as a challenge. The experience developed my patience and discipline when it came to things that I wanted to do or have.
The greatest challenge of all is the fact that we all have to stay healthy. According to Charles Darwin, the fittest survive and that rule applies in the current health crisis. How could we stay fit? The boxing gym I and my father usually went to is closed. My parents could not also visit the gym because a lot of industries were shut down. We couldn’t even go out and jog because of the virus and curfew.
How did we all manage to stay healthy? Luckily, I found a YouTube dance fitness channel. All I had to do was learn the dance moves from the instructor’s video and, in no time, I was dancing! I also had to eat a lot of vegetables, especially bitter gourd or
ampalaya. Some of the vegetables did not taste good but my will to survive was stronger and I did what I should.
Despite all the tests I’ve gone through lately, I still managed not to complain and live with it instead. I believe that if my countrymen ever read this essay during these tough times, it could inspire them to work together to stop the spread of the virus.
(Mikaela Kristina Acido-Muega is a 13-year -old incoming Grade 9 student at the Quezon City Science High School.)