Special Section: Life in Covid-19 Times

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Food for Thought

The outbreak of Covid-19 has challenged our abilities to adapt and be resilient in the face of adversities. As business operations were forced to shut down in March 2020, schools and other establishments were mandated to switch to online. There is no doubt that COVID-19 has revived the need to explore online teaching and learning. In my case, I moved back to South Trinidad as my classes moved online. To meet the deadlines for assignments, my self-discipline was put to the test. I was forced to ‘beat the books’ at night since studying throughout the day seemed impossible with all the activities at home.

Being in the comfort of my home and around my big family posed positives and negatives. I was pampered by my sisters and my mom ¾ getting breakfast in bed every day, enjoying games nights, having DIY spa days, home workouts, picnics in our front yard ¾ we cleaned a bit and we ate! From comforting dinners to scrumptious dessert recipes, we tried them all! Only then I realised how much my family loves food. I learnt new tips and tricks from my mom in the kitchen that will certainly stay with me through life. Through this experience, I recognised how privileged I was to be able to afford a continuous supply of food and other necessities. I was comfortable, safe and happy, even in this crisis. Let’s be real, this virus does not pardon based on wealth, status, ethnicity, nationality or beauty. It cannot tell who can afford medical insurance, who relies on school meals to stave off hunger and get a nutritional diet or who lives in abusive households. As such, it will certainly hit some populations harder than others, at least partially due to privilege.

For me, the lockdown served as a blessing and a curse as I was able to bask in the presence of my family, do some self-reflection and count my blessings-although getting my work done was a lot more exhausting than usual!

---Chelsea Mohammed


How is my time ‘staying at home’?

Some of the words that immediately come to mind are boring, lonely, depressing, disheartening, and unproductive, among other negatives. There are some positives like relaxation and doing university or work assignments on my own time, which I appreciate. Before the pandemic struck, I was at home for a while to study; this home thing, I’m accustomed to. But having to stay at home to protect myself from being infected with Covid-19 is different. And just as I am about to complete the last course for my university degree, Covid-19 happens! I was looking forward to celebrating this accomplishment with friends and family and more importantly to finding work. I am optimistic nonetheless. Adding new activities to my routine is basically all that I can do at the moment. I exercise. I apply for jobs online. Even though it’s a serious situation, sometimes laughing about it gets me through whichever day of the week or month. It’ll be foolish, though, to say that ‘everything will be all right’ and ‘things will go back to how there were before Covid-19’ because that’s not going to be the case when/if we get out of this crisis. At the same time, I feel strongly that it’s important not to let my negative emotions consume me. I am determined to survive this Covid-19 present.

---Anonymous


Social Butterflies during a Pandemic

Trinbagonians continue being social butterflies even during COVID-19 times as “liming” is at the heart of our culture. We have a nonchalant, laid-back stance which justifies why we love “liming.” This slang describes our tendency to hang around in public places while socializing with friends and family. Trinbagonians can lime anywhere, at any time and with the onset of COVID-19 this point was proven. Due to the restrictions implemented to curb the community spread of COVID-19 we have become more innovative in the ways in which we lime. For instance, with the closure of public places, people still lime by having house parties and gatherings even though there are laws against this. Nonetheless, Trinbagonians still make it their duty to socialize. Liming is not just “the art of doing nothing” (Eriksen 1990) but is an escape out of our stifling home environment during these COVID-19 times. Some of us experienced anxiety and depressive episodes which we attempted to overcome by breaching the rules and meeting with friends. Being stuck at home for months has proved to be one of the most mundane things we have experienced. As a result we looked for excitement by going for drives and having game nights with family, helping rekindle our bonds. Virtual teaching and the loss of jobs has left everyone with more free time than ever and due to our nature of being social butterflies; what else would we spend our time doing besides what we do best, lime!

---Aaliyah Hosein, Chelsea Perez and Rachael Teemal

 

A Memorable First Year Experience, Off-Campus

The transition from secondary school to university life is intimidating, exciting and stressful. Experiencing it during a pandemic is oddly intriguing. I found adapting to a completely altered mode of delivery confusing, it’s strange not sitting in a classroom and ‘ole talking’ with my peers. It’s a completely different experience from the norm. I will remember this experience forever. Never in a million years, would I have thought this was how my first year of university would start. I had heard many exciting stories of the “UWI campus experience.” I was enthusiastic to have my own experience of it. I was so eager to leave home, I had already rented an apartment close to campus, but COVID-19 had other plans, basically saying, ‘nah you relax yuh self at home.’ I’m at home, and trying to keep up with lectures, assignments, and exams online has been overwhelming. The impact of switching from in-person to online and remote learning adversely impacted my mental health. Lack of the UWI campus experience, constant worrying about technical difficulties and the most terrifying thing: having to do an online presentation, increased my anxiety and feelings of depression. I encountered many technical difficulties from internet and audio problems. Sometimes I barely heard what was being discussed during classes, and switched from one device to another repeatedly during a two hour class. (Thankfully I had two devices that were working!)

There were occasions where the power cut off during heavy rainfall and I could not access classes for a period of time. As a group, we are frustrated and worried. This isn’t the first year experience that we anticipated.

---Shivanni Ramsawak, Adrianna Deonarine, Sharris Baptiste and Sameerah Mohammed

 

A Glimpse into Trinbagonians’ Mental Health during #stayathome


The COVID-19 quarantine is a time where mental health issues are becoming more prevalent globally because of various reasons such as stress, fear, and uncertainty. Trinbagonians are currently faced with unemployment, financial struggles, and distance from loved ones. The repetitive and sometimes aggravating daily routines we had are now the only “normal” we want to return to. The virtual activities that we once considered freedom from the ‘real world’ have now become some of the loneliest, most monotonous activities we crave to escape. Some of us had to step away from our jobs temporarily. Some of us had to stop working altogether. A number us in the group, who had active social lives, visiting family and friends regularly or going to band practices, are now forced to #stayathome. We ended up stagnant during lockdown and got little rest from our persistent worries in these uncertain times. For some of us, pre-existing mental health conditions like anxiety and depression were triggered. We felt lost and trapped. One of us obsessively cleaned every surface that was touched too often, like an anxious ritual. One of us was at work, followed all the guidelines and precautions set by the ministry, and still had to go into a 14-day quarantine for tertiary contact with a COVID-19 positive patient. It was all very frustrating. While the quarantine lifestyle is keeping us safe collectively, it is also draining our vitality and creating an ideal environment for mental illness.

---Chemelle Rawlins, Isaac Cabrices, Sarah Whiby, and Tishanna Joogoon


Behind the Screen: ‘Zooming’ through the Realities of Online Schooling 

Ambivalence is a state of having simultaneous conflicting reactions or feelings towards something. Ambivalence seems to be the foundation of our relationship with virtual learning as we entered university with the high expectations of exploring our social identity. Instead, we were mostly bombarded by an influx of hardships caused by COVID-19. The challenges that accompanied online schooling became as abundant as the assignments we were given daily. We were forced to simultaneously grapple with social deprivation, as well as the increasing distractions from our families and devices, especially our phones. Devastatingly, device and connectivity issues are frequent, and the online learning platform became more of an enemy than a friend. Despite the efforts made by lecturers to incorporate the use of exciting videos, pictures and innovative assignments, the extended time behind a screen is overwhelming. On the other hand, online school bred an environment for introspection and self- development as it guaranteed an escape from the tribulations of the social world. It encouraged us to advance in our university journeys, at our own different paces. Additionally, virtual learning gave teachers the opportunity to use alternative means of teaching that introduced a new dimension to our education in T&T.  With the pros and cons of remote learning, it is up to us as individual students and collectively as a society to adapt to ‘zooming’ through school.  

---Kai-Marie Simpson, Isabelle St Omer, Nicholette Salandy, and Michael Lezama 

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