During this time of social distancing and isolation, I have asked three of my friends here in Sydney to share their experience. (From left to right: Lena, Sammi, Oshi. Head to the Gallery for more pics!)
Alison: Please introduce yourself.
Lena: I’m Lena, a 20-year-old Marketing and Design uni student from Sydney who is notorious for putting saturated filters on every photo she takes, enthusing over musicals way too much and constantly cringing at herself every time she mentions that time she went to *insert some random country here*.
Oshi: Hi, I’m Oshiania! I am a 3rd-year student at The University of Sydney studying Marketing and Business Information Systems.
Sammi: Hi, my name is Sammi. I’m currently a third-year student at USYD studying a Bachelor of Science. I’d like to call myself a food blogger but in reality, I have no idea how to work my camera. Jokes aside, I definitely enjoy cafe hopping, photography, travelling, hanging out with friends and family and just having some me time!
Alison: What have you been doing these days?
Lena: Other than developing an unhealthy obsession with TikTok, I’d say I’m very lucky in my quarantine situation in that most of my hobbies were based at home anyway. Having more time to draw, bake, play the Sims and have Netflix/Zoom parties has actually been quite the luxury.
Oshi: With the pandemic going, it’s very hard to go out and do the things you want to do, so these days I have actually been trying to make most of the time focusing on myself at home. Some activities include developing some skills by taking on new challenges such as taking part in virtual events and also going back to what I have loved doing in the past like dancing, cooking, exercising and making short vlogs.
Sammi: Since it’s isolation now, things have definitely changed in a good and bad way. Fortunately for me, I work as a medical receptionist, so I’m still required to go to work at least twice a week. Apart from that, all my time is spent at home (I mean, I would be concerned if I wasn’t). Other than attending my usual online classes, I’ve also started to focus on getting my running speed back on track and have been exercising daily. Since I have the time of my life now, I’ve also decided to pick up baking again which I definitely haven’t done since high school. I’ve also started to binge watch all the HK dramas I’ve missed out on in the past two years which probably isn’t a good idea, but I mean what else would I do with my time!
Alison: How do you feel about social distancing/self-isolation?
Lena: I believe self-isolation is a very necessary precaution given the current situation, especially for those like myself who are privileged enough to be able to comfortably do it safely and can afford it. It may be inconvenient, but saving lives matters much much more.
Oshi: Honestly, in the beginning I was quite anxious about it because being an individual who spends most of her weeks outside, I was scared to be stuck under the same roof for most of the time. Although I miss seeing my friends and relatives and travelling to different places, I learned that this period of time is especially precious to not only stay connected with them but also with the people you live with and yourself. I think we should all play our part to stop the spread of the virus because preventing you from catching the virus allows for others, possibly more vulnerable people, to be out of danger.
Sammi: Hmm, although social distancing is something new, I don’t think it’s too much of a difference from having strict parents. It has definitely changed the way we would usually go about our daily lives, but I feel like it has also allowed us to reflect and appreciate the smaller things we used to take for granted. Like for example, being able to leave the house for a good feed or even just catching up with some friends at uni. I also feel as though social distancing has given me more time to do things that I probably thought I would’ve never done again, which is definitely a good thing. Although I personally don’t mind social distancing, I would still hope that it is over soon!
Alison: Some people have expressed feelings of suffocation and negativity during this time, can you relate to this?
Lena: Definitely. I went from checking news updates hourly to not reading the news altogether because it made me too fearful, paranoid and sad. At the moment, this sadness would be for the heavily impacted countries, for families and communities being ripped apart, for health care workers desperate for resources and relief, and for the lack of stronger governmental action taken sooner. Inevitably, I also can’t not bring up race in the discussion, given that I have wrestled with my Australian versus Chinese identity my whole life. It’s genuinely terrifying to have any semblance of security shattered by hearing the racist or xenophobic comments my friends have received, or see abuse posted about online.
Oshi: I think it’s really easy to respond in this manner because you are restricted of your own actions to take part in your normal daily activities and to be honest I can somewhat relate. Although I have been taking most of this positively, you can’t resist but to wish everything to go back to normal. You’d have to alter your lifestyle to the changes and sometimes it can be annoying.
Sammi: Personally, I can’t relate to this on a large scale but there are definitely times where I have felt frustration due to this whole ‘social distancing’. I guess being a foodie and not being able to shoot the same way as pre-social distancing has been a minor downfall for me but it’s definitely not to the extent where I feel suffocation or extreme negativity.
Alison: How do you cope with negativity and stay motivated?
Lena: Even though uni is still stressful, I’m grateful for it to be a distraction that gives me things to work on everyday. Planning out an ordered list of which subjects I should tackle that day helps me stay on track. To take breaks, I’ve been attempting to make new snacks with whatever’s in my kitchen (eating avocado yogurt as I type this heh).
Oshi: This may sound easy, but don’t focus on the negatives and rather think about what you can use this time for to improve yourself and help others. Sounds cheesy, I know. And sometimes you may need others to help you stay motivated such as your friends and family. My dogs especially enjoy my company whilst being at home, ha ha. I’ve also been trying to explore and try out new hobbies and activities during this time like trying out new recipes to cook and bake.
Sammi: I guess I haven’t really experienced too much negativity during this time, but I’ve definitely been able to see and do things from a different perspective. Like being a foodie, instead of neglecting shooting as a whole, I’ve definitely been able to keep up content by posting my own baking, product styling at home and etc. In order to stay motivated during this time, I’ve definitely been able to convince myself that this period of time is for me save up money so that I can do bigger and better things once it’s all over.
Alison: What are your post-quarantine plans?
Lena: There’s a scene in Tangled where, as soon as she’s released from her tower, Rapunzel rolls and leaps around on some grass. That’s 100% going to be me.
In the long term I’m really hoping for the world to appreciate the simpler things in life more – laughing with friends over ice cream, giving gifts, guiltlessly taking walks without having to avoid others – and just in general live a more mindful, thankful existence.
Oshi: Definitely to catch up with all my friends and to eat all the food I have yearned to eat during quarantine. Most of my days normally consists of going to uni, working, catching up with friends, shopping, playing etc. and I’m super excited to return to this routine, but at the same time I’ll probably will miss days like these, when I am able to work in my pyjamas.
Sammi: Hmmm this is definitely a hard question since there’s so many things I would love to do! Just to mention a few, catching up with friends and eating good food are certainly quite high up on my list. I would also like to travel either to the UK or somewhere in Asia depending on when quarantine is over. Another one of my priorities is to give back to the community since there has been so much kindness and support during this pandemic time.
Alison: Thank you for sharing with us. It’s been a pleasure gaining different insights from all three of you. See you after the quarantine!
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