It’s 2021! You would think that the world has returned to normal…but unfortunately, the pandemic that upturned much of our lives through 2020 still continues its march, impacting almost everything we do. Some countries are doing better than others; some people are, well, faring better than others. Those with the double jabs in their arms now believe they are supermen and superwomen, indestructible and not susceptible to the virus anymore. Those that haven’t bothered to take the jab, well, I guess they always thought that they were supermen or superwomen anyway. “Don’t you think this whole thing is one big conspiracy”, one taxi driver told me here in the UK. [I am not even sure how I sat through the rest of that cab ride without getting into an argument with him!]
The questions I would ask these people is, “Did the last 12-18 months not teach you anything?”, and “Are you really keen on risking your own safety and the safety of others by not taking the vaccine?”
For me, taking the vaccine was a no-brainer; it had to happen. =Life had been turned upside down during and thanks to the pandemic, and so, I was going to do whatever it takes to ensure normalcy returns – at least to our lives. And so, as soon as the UK made the option available, we were signed up and ready to go – sleeves rolled up and all. After being let go from a job (which, to be honest, I didn’t like very much anyway), and then having to spend a lot of time working from home, locked away in an apartment, it was time to get moving again.
The positive side to the pandemic:
While the whole pandemic has been a mental and emotional struggle, don’t get me wrong, there have been positives to it too. I did appreciate the time locked in and the opportunity to WFH. It brought to light for me, (a) the fact that we miss so much of our lives by spending countless (and often wasteful) hours at the office; and (b) the biggest waste of our time, which is the commute to and from our places of work.
How easy it was to just roll out of bed and onto the computer without having to schlep through the hassles of taxis, cars, trains and/or buses. How much of my life had I really wasted just commuting! Why could this not have been an option all those years ago, and at every workplace?
With regards to (a) above, I really enjoyed the opportunity to be at home with my kids, to watch them truly grow up and to appreciate every aspect of their childhood. While not all my colleagues may have appreciated them popping in as uninvited guests on our Zoom calls, the occasional interactions with my kids during the course of a day offered me a welcome break from the daily grind of a job. It made it less mundane and stressful. I may not have been fully present through the day (I did still have to do some work, you know), I was still more available, accessible and around the house for them to reach out to and speak to during the day. The kids would pop in to see what I do on a daily basis… not that they still understand, but at least they know, papa spends all day on a computer, either chatting with colleagues or looking at charts and tickers. It’s been a fun two years with them and has definitely made me appreciate the flexibility of being able to work remotely. So, thank you for that COVID.
The downside to staying away from the homeland:
But, while I had the positives of watching my kids grow, and being a part of their daily lives, there was a flip side to it too. Being immigrants in a foreign country, our families are spread far and wide around the world. COVID meant that, well, we were locked into an apartment with not many places to go. As I said at the start, some countries didn’t fare as well as others and unfortunately, the mismanagement of the response to the pandemic in our home countries of India and the Philippines put those two countries firmly in that bucket. They became inaccessible (and as of writing, still are). Flights were scarce, the ability to travel with two young kids was either limited or a bit scary…and so it’s been almost two years since we have physically met and interacted with our families.
Yes, technology has helped and it has been great to have the video calls and the frequent chats with family, but as everyone will attest… it is just not the same.
We have ageing parents and family members. And with old age and underlying health conditions come other complications and worries. A slight sniff, or a cough, which under normal circumstances would have gone unnoticed, now suddenly got undue attention on FaceTime videos… and anxiety levels popped up. The availability of vaccines (or lack thereof) in those countries too… and the scramble for them was another issue we had to contend with… from several miles away. I last saw my parents in October 2019 and we last visited Gaile’s family in January 2020… it may not actually be that long, but the pandemic has definitely made it feel so.
And so, as things return to normal, borders reopen and flights resume, we are looking at our windows of opportunity to get on one of them and make the long trip across. Because all said and done, the pandemic has made us appreciate our families near and far… and the power of that hug! At the end of the day, all you need is a hug… Isn’t that what the Beatles said? Ha!
Mansi Zaveri
Janani S Koushik
