Remembering March 2020

A Post From March 2020

This is a repost from March 2020 when Covid was keeping us all in the house. I chose this post because I just recovered from my first bout with Covid — after all these years.

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I recently ran a couple of posts on your pandemic stories. Last week I asked what you are doing now that you are home most of the time. I got some great replies, so here they are. The first one is more of a pandemic story and definitely worth a read. I did leave in a couple of compliments I got because they make me happy and very grateful. I hope these stories will do the same for you… And I did add what I am doing too!

Grateful from Across the World

Dear Arlene,

I love your grammar lessons and I have been reading the wonderful

stories from people all over the world, managing in these times. Feel

free to delete anything that is not suitable as per the situation.

Here is my story:

I have always wanted to attend a masquerade ball. I have seen them in

the movies, and always found it fascinating how people are not

recognized by the other characters in the movies, but we know who they

are. Of course, in my lifetime, I never got the opportunity to attend

any of those kinds of parties.

Little did I know that our lives would turn around and every day would

become a masquerade ball, where we have to hide behind masks, thanks

to Covid-19. It is not easy to recognize people with their masks on,

trust me.

It is interesting to see, though, how we are avoiding people in the

elevator, on the streets, on stairs, in hallways, in the aisles of the

supermarkets, or anywhere else. The virus has us fearing contact with

people, and we panic when we see someone coming our way. Social

distancing has become a terminology we use so freely. I also know,

that when all this is over (which it will be), we will use this sacred

terminology in a sarcastic, mocking, or humorous way. I hope we will

not forget what all we have been through together as a world.

Until last year, I was teaching in China, and it was the hardest thing –

trying to protect myself from not getting banged into, pushed,

shoved, or coughed or sneezed at. I always wondered how

they did not know basic courtesy. Don’t get me wrong. Those were the

best days of my life, there in China. I am not judging their

culture. And since the onset of Covid-19, they have had to learn their lessons

the hard way.

However, I do not want to dive into comparing people and cultures. I

want to share what I have learnt from the days in quarantine. After

all, we must concentrate on the positive and take every day as a

lesson. I am enjoying the experience of teaching from home, I have a

hot lunch every day, do Zumba in my living room every afternoon, and

every evening sit for meditation. I am concentrating on my well-being.

Teaching online was quite challenging in the beginning. But the most

amazing part has been how online teaching websites and resources have

opened up their hearts and websites to share free resources online. It

has been a blessing in disguise. My students did take their books home,

yet teaching online is not the same as teaching in the classroom.

This generation, which I call an IT generation, needs more stimulus to

stay engaged. And these online resources are just perfect to keep

them engaged – not to mention the ease of correction. I just need to

link my classrooms to that website; and my students receive the lessons

in their Google classroom, complete the tasks, and submit. The work gets

either corrected or I get to see where the students need extra help.

What more could I ask for?

I would like to shout out a huge “Thank You, to all those “owners”

of those websites for opening up their hearts and sites and giving

teachers like me a world of resources to work with. My students are

learning, benefiting, and enjoying the teaching and learning process.

This is pure and selfless service to all students, parents, and teachers.

Bless you all. Stay safe, happy, and calm,

Kawita Thani, Secondary English Teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia

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Quiet Times

Hi Arlene,

I think you asked how people have been spending their time at home. Here

are a few of the things I’ve been up to:

1) Making sourdough bread (like 95 percent of the world, it seems).

2) Going through boxes of memorabilia accumulated from my (now-adult)

kids’ years in school. No, we don’t need the second-grade spelling

worksheet. I am snapping pics of things I really want to remember.

3) Attending Zoom meetings and webinars on meditation, writing, writing

and meditation, meditation and writing. And more meditation.

4) Checking graphs for signs of a downward-bending curve and studying

world maps. Appreciating Johns Hopkins for their relentless data

reporting, but feeling the immense suffering indicated by the

ever-expanding red circles.

5) Walking. And walking, and walking, and walking more. Alone, now

masked, and often on the phone with a friend who is also walking, to

simulate walking together.

6) Writing and editing. Well, mostly editing, since I have found it hard

to write anything that is not related to Covid-19.

7) Reading blogs/newsletters during the day and novels (as usual) in the

evening.

8) Watching Netflix and Amazon Prime (like 95 percent of the world).

Looking forward to getting back to grammar!

Stay well,

Audrey Kalman, author, California

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So Much Ambition!

Hi Arlene,

I am very busy.