Life in quarantine The year 2020 brought unexpected changes to our lives. The global pandemic forced governments to implement strict measures to control the spread of the virus. Quarantine became the new normal, and our daily routines were completely altered. Life in quarantine has been both challenging and surreal. The once bustling streets are now empty, and social interactions are limited to virtual platforms. The simple act of going outside requires careful planning and adherence to strict safety protocols. In addition, everyone was in the circle of quarantine and shared love for each other. This was a very pleasant situation for us. It should also be noted that after everyone was "jailed" home, it went on to test itself in the IT of the IT and blogging. But this did not happen successfully for all. The monotony of staying at home has taken a toll on mental well-being. With the absence of social gatherings and limited physical activities, many have experienced feelings of isolation and anxiety. However, the enforced solitude has also given us an opportunity for self-reflection and exploration of new hobbies. Technology has played a crucial role in keeping us connected during these trying times. Zoom meetings, online lectures, and virtual hangouts have become an integral part of our lives. Through virtual platforms, we have managed to maintain our relationships and even create new ones. The pandemic has also highlighted the importance of health and hygiene. We have become more conscious of our surroundings, constantly sanitizing our hands and wearing masks to protect ourselves and others. Basic tasks such as grocery shopping have become a carefully orchestrated mission, where each step must be meticulously planned to avoid any possible exposure. In quarantine, time seems to blend together. Days turn into weeks, and weeks into months. We find ourselves caught in a seemingly endless loop of sameness. However, amidst the monotony, we have also witnessed acts of kindness and solidarity. Communities have come together to support each other, whether through donating supplies or offering emotional support. As we adapt to this new way of life, we must remind ourselves that quarantine won't last forever. Scientists and researchers are working tirelessly to develop vaccines, and eventually, we will return to a sense of normalcy. Until then, it is essential to stay strong, take care of our mental and physical well-being, and support one another. In conclusion, life in quarantine has been a unique and challenging experience. It has forced us to adapt, reassess our priorities, and find new ways to connect with others. While the road ahead may still be uncertain, we must hold onto hope and remember that together, we will overcome this global crisis.

Although the initial fear about a new contagious coronavirus spread around the world in February 2020, it could not worry me at that time. I was preparing to start a new semester as an exchange graduate student in South Korea. I was over the moon, because I had dreamed of studying and traveling abroad all my life, and with just one step, the biggest dream would come true. As soon as the plane landed, we realised that we were in a different world. Everyone complied with the quarantine regulations, we arrived on campus and settled into the dormitory. However, the quarantine was strict, small trips around campus and the city were allowed for exchange students. Everything was great until I had a terrible accident with my bike on campus in the middle of April. It was an evening when I was bringing dinner for me and my roommates from a restaurant near our campus. I was not a professional bike rider, I was just riding at low speed because I lacked confidence. I was in a hurry because we had to go to Korean language class at 7 p.m., so I increased my speed. There was only one hill left and I was supposed to reach the dorm, but suddenly someone appeared on my way down the hill and I lost my balance and crashed to him. When I regained consciousness, I did not realize what had happened or how much time had passed. I was lying under my bike and about 2 meters away from me an old man was screaming in pain. Several students who were passing by immediately came to help and called the ambulance and the police. The old man sat there holding his leg and moaning in pain. Soon the ambulance and police arrived, they took the old man out of the car to give him first aid, and I found that one of the doctors spoke English, and I begged him to explain that I was sorry. I do not know if it was because of anger or pain, but he did not answer. The police began to question me. At that moment, one of the doctors told me that my hand was injured and that I needed first aid. Only then I felt a severe pain in the wrist of my right hand and I could not move my palm. The policemen looked at me with unusual suspicion and said they would go to our dormitory to check my documents. After that, they said they would contact me, then another ambulance arrived and took me to the hospital. As I sat in the ambulance, I still could not understand what had happened, I felt like a criminal. When the doctor who examined the X-ray results at the hospital said that my wrist bone was broken, that it needed to be operated on quickly, and that the surgery would cost $4,500-5,000, it all seemed was over. I could barely control myself , it was a huge amount in Uzbekistan currency, and it was obvious that my parents could not send me that much money. My friends got me out of the hospital and we came back to dorm and I asked them not to tell my family. I was facing a very difficult problem: my parents have always believed in me, but now if they find out about this incident, they may be horrified. Besides, they would have to borrow a large sum to send money for the operation. That night I could not sleep, it was the longest and hardest night of my life. The unbearable pain in my hand, as well as the thought that the achievements I had made so far were ruined because of this mistake and that no one would trust me anymore, gave me no peace. I fantasized about all the ways to make money, because my decision was made up, no matter what, I will not tell my family members! We consulted all day with my friends to find a solution, but we did not come up with a definite idea. Desperate, tired, and racked with pain, I returned to the dorm. My phone connected to the wifi, I checked the messages from Telegram, and there was a reply message from the insurance company. I immediately replied to the message and described the whole process. When I heard from him that my request could be accepted, all my pain was washed away with tears. Next day, I was told that I had to go to Chosun National University Hospital, where they would operate on my hand and all the costs would be covered by the company. After 2 days from surgery I left the hospital, successfully finished the semester with excellent grades and returned to Uzbekistan in July. By the way, the old man I had injured was a good person and did not sue me in any way, as I was told by the policeman who came at the end of the semester to close the case. At that moment I realized that I was a really lucky girl: otherwise I or an old man would have been seriously injured, he would have sued for damages, the insurance company would not have covered the expenses, and I would have lost the trust of my family and would have experienced a series of similar disappointments. But fortunately, everything turned out well, leaving only a scar on my right hand after the surgery.

There are 1,022,000 words in the English language, and not a single word describes how much my friends mean to me. Each has made a positive impact on my life. Whether they are someone I can relate to or someone I can be myself around with, being around my friends will always keep a smile on my face. There are some things that a human needs that you can't buy with industrial wealth. And one of those things is friends. True friends. When the pandemic started I was confused. Scared of the rumors and news on the internet. I was unprepared for the inevitable. In the first month of the pandemic, I was able to concentrate on myself. As the pandemic settled down and people started interacting with each other, I was finally able to meet my friends in person. Although we called through zoom meetings and phone calls, meeting each other in person just had a better feeling. With very minimal things to do during a pandemic, we kept ourselves busy. We would play games like skribbl.io or Minecraft. With everything wrong with the world back then, I would always have a shoulder to lean on. As virtual learning was almost over and summer just around the corner, there was finally something to look forward to. My friends and I started planning activities for us to do during this break. Sleepovers, pool parties, raiding the gas station's snacks once every week. Everything was looking good for us. As I returned home feeling refreshed from my walk, my parents seemed a bit anxious. As I sat down after washing my hands I was ready for dinner. We were almost halfway done with our dinner and not a single word was spoken. Finally, my sister decided to break the silence. “Dad, what happens to the janitors that work at buildings during the pandemic?” This caught my dad off guard. He told her that the janitors would have to find a temporary job until the pandemic is over. He explained that this is happening to thousands of people around the world and that we should be grateful for what we have. And all of the sudden my parent's attention turned towards me. I was skeptical about why I was getting interesting looks from my parents, but I decided to ignore it. At last, my parents told me what was going on. My dad told me that the company he was working for was barely holding on and that their stocks were going down vertically. And apparently, it wasn't just his company, it was the whole stock market. He told me that his company had another office in North Carolina. We could move there temporarily until his company starts doing better, but if we weren't able to move to North Carolina…. I knew what he was going to say. I sat on my chair with no appetite for dinner anymore. My dad's words had faded and I immediately thought of one thing. Leaving my friends. I wasn't ready and neither will I ever be. Leaving my friend would be the equivalent of losing a loved one. After dinner, I felt very pessimistic. I went straight to bed, hoping to take my mind off the topic. I woke up feeling a bit better. I didn't want to tell my friends everything because I was still processing information myself. Every single day I would look at the stock market to see if the issue had been resolved. I dreaded to see a green line, but I would always be disappointed to see the red one instead. There was this one exceptionally hard night. And what I did that night was unusual for me. I prayed. I didn't pray for just my family, or my future, but for all of the people who were going through what I was. The next day, as usual, I went online to see the stock market. And miraculously, I saw a green line. I could not have been happier. It felt like God heard my problems. Now, of course, a small green line didn't fix the overall issue. It would take a lot of time to resolve the whole problem. But I was happy to see some actual progress. As school ended and the 2-month break started, I became more thankful for the things around me. Knowing anything could change at any time, I tried to find the positives out of every situation. So for me, I tried to get the most out of my summer break. Hanging out with my family, having fun with my friends. Those moments I had were and are memories. But despite what fun activity I was doing a small thought always lingered at the back of my head “What if it happens again?” It's been 16 months and I have changed completely. That ‘thought' of mine is now gone. I have moved to another city with 2 of my other friends. Leaving my childhood and friends had kept me in a gloomy stage. I had considered them as brothers but happened to move 2 hours away from them. Ever since the pandemic, I felt like my journey should be heard. Though my experience may not be as struggling as other's, I would love to relate to somebody. When I came across biopage I knew it was perfect for me. With the community so friendly, I wasn't embarrassed to write. So I strapped down and started sharing my story. ”There are 1,022,000 words in the English language…”

Lockdown. Here's a word that we used to associate with dictatorship, war, or, in my case, George Orwell's 1984. For a young adult, it seemed unimaginable that I would ever experience times of fear, isolation, and a skyrocketing death rate. It was even more unthinkable that we could get something out of it. Back in March, 2020, staying at home was a chance to recover from life's crazy speed. That is, for most people. Me? I had already been working at home for almost four months as an English teacher for online students in Brazil. There was little change in my routine – I was mostly sorry I couldn't go to the gym, cause I'm an endorphin junky. Of course, we all thought quarantine wasn't going to last. It then became clear we had better get used to Zoom meetings, face-masks, or, in my case, keeping a distance from my family (who wasn't following all the guidelines as strictly as I was – still am). Like all newly bakers, DIYers, yogis, I too put my energy into one task: starting my writing career. With a zillion unfinished stories on my computer and a zillion more in my head, I didn't know where to begin. After all, I was exhausted from all the jobs I had taken thinking they would lead me somewhere, when in fact they were dragging me further from my writing goals. Luckily, I received an email announcing a writing contest for eBooks. And I thought “this is it!” (in reality, I was probably thinking, “why not?”). I only had a couple of months to do what most writers take years to accomplish: finish a story and publish it. After selecting one short-story that wasn't so bad and kind of had an ending, I rewrote it, revised it, then turned it into a great eBook (with the help of my uncle to design the cover). Basically, I was the writer, agent, editor, launch team of my first book. When I sent a message to my mom, with a link for purchasing her daughter's first published book, she had to call me to make sure she got it right: “What is that link you sent me? Is that a book? Your book? How did you do it?” And I was thrilled to have finally done it! After all, I had been dreaming of this feat ever since I drew/wrote a book about a mermaid when I was seven. As a perfectionist, though, I wanted to go further. My self-published, barely revised book couldn't be my only one. That's when I decided to really pursue my career as an author (at last, I can call myself that). So I quit one of my jobs (the one as an English teacher) and started writing a new novel in 2021 – its first draft is already complete, and I'm currently working on editing it (this time, to send to a literary agent). Also, I knew that, as amazing as that eBook was (a true accomplishment for the little time that I had), I needed lots of help on how to write mesmerizing stories, pitch them for agents, build my online platform (which I'm still working on, btw), promote my future books… So, I took some free classes (remember, I quit my job) and sent my draft to a friend who reads the same kind of genre to get some feedback. What I've learned so far from this process? That it only takes a crazy pandemic to make people rethink their life choices and pursue their dreams. Kidding. Sort of. I did learn that there are many master classes, webinars, blog posts, and guides that really are helpful to writers who want to focus on this part of their lives without spending any (or little) money. So let's take those Covid-19 lemons and make some lemonade!

Isolation: a concept that slowly threaded itself into my daily routine. Safety was its purpose. Sanity was its sacrifice. Especially during the pandemic. Upon its arrival, the thought of not having to awkwardly interact with people seemed like a blessing wrapped in abundant relief. How could I protest? I always dreaded walking through the severed claws of my high school's doors. I despised the aching of my slouching back as I sat in a plastic chair, listening to the teacher's gibberish that I had no passion in pursing. Isolation seemed like a paradise, and for a moment it was almost heavenly. But time changed, and I remained the same. The pleasure of not hearing the burdening shrieks of my alarm was immense. The stress-free mindset that was fastened upon my skull rewired my toxic sleeping patterns. Everything was so simple. Everything was so easy. It became a habit of mine...a habit I grew bored with. The hours of relaxation contorted into days of laziness and procrastination. I felt as though I was just existing in the blank void of my lounge room. When the quarantining of 2020 was imprinted, that was my excuse. I didn't feel like talking to anyone? Isolation was my excuse. I didn't have a job? Isolation was my excuse. Even after high school had ended and I was on the verge of entering the excitement of University life, isolation had plagued my serenity. I was so used to the lack of interaction and the decease of productivity that I felt my life was now meaningless. "What am I supposed to do with my time now? These video games are getting a bit boring. Walking around in circles for ten hours everyday is growing tedious." The rotten cherry on top of this irksome cake of loneliness was the passing of my brother. And this is where my sanity decided to take a detour. My soul had splintered like a broken branch. My loneliness upgraded its unholy form into a satanic beast of grief and emptiness. "Now what do I do? Is there a point to this still?" I felt as though I had lost everything that was cradled in the palm of my hand. And to further decorate this traumatic cake, I had also lost the intimate connection to the one I tried to despise but grew to admire. I pushed him away. I pushed everyone away. Because of isolation, right? Because of their safety, right? Or was it my safety? Several months have passed and I still struggle with the finding of my purpose and productive energy. I still feel compelled to push my loved ones away. I still feel drawn to my heated rage and harm that I inflict upon my internal fragments. Everyday feels tiresome and aggressive with the understanding of not understanding. But this is a learning tool for me. The world is subjective. The world is neither good nor bad. The world is neither polluted nor healthy. The world is neither surviving nor thriving. The world is just the world. Pain is but a fleeting ship that may take its time to pass. But it does pass eventually. And if it doesn't, I'm sure it will sink with the other traumas I have confronted before. The moral of this dreary experience is that this is life. It is your life. It is your world. You are the main character. These setbacks, these shortcomings, just make the plot more exciting. True purpose does not lie in the success of a business, a degree, or even anything remotely tangible. Purpose lies within you. It is up to you to determine your purpose. It is up to you to change. And I am still learning this...

I lost my job in August of 2020, I was working at a medical supply warehouse that provided home medical goods to patients that were coming home from the hospital and I thought for sure with the pandemic my job was basically set. Apparently I was wrong as the company that I worked for had other ideas and decided that the department that I worked in, Customer service, a.k.a. pushing hospital beds and oxygen for all the patients being released to go home and either sink or swim from Covid 19, decided that they were going to be transferring the department to the home location located in Philadelphia. As I was in Chicago, I had no choice but to pack a bankers box with my desktop decorations and meager belongings and trek out to my car in tears at loosing yet another job at one of the worst possible times that I could think of, the company that I worked for in their infinite kindness explained that my medical insurance would be terminated at the end of the month, which was only four days from my firing date, and that I was not going to be getting any severance package as I was hired on January 6th 2020 and I would have had to have been there prior to the New Year to have qualified for a severance package. I asked if there was any other department that I could be transferred to in the company that was going to be allowed to stay, accounting or sales as I had worked in both of those departments in my almost 20 years of prior office experience, and I was told there was nothing available. In other words, the head of Customer Service had already placed her friends in the available positions and that was that. Without insurance and without income, if I was to get Covid, I was going to be in some big trouble. I went straight home, I did not pass go, I did not collect $200 dollars; I went directly home and got online. First I applied for unemployment, and then I applied for Medicaid. I spend the rest of the afternoon updating my resume, crying and wishing I knew Bill Gates and could call for a loan. I immediately signed up for an online course for Covid tracer at John Hopkins and took that course right away. Okay, I got that under my belt, I added that to my resume. I took a CPR course, First Aid, and an OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens course, got certified and put those on my resume, I took the Google Project Manager Courses (6 month course I packed into 5 ½ weeks) and got certified and added those on my resume, sent out over 100 copies of my resume and…… Nothing. I never graduated college because I thought why would I need that, I have always had office jobs that kept me afloat. I know every aspect of the office and have always been able to manage and office with no problem. I now seen to be in a hole and there is now possible way out. It feels like evey rope and ladder has been pulled out from the pit and I am desperately clawing at the walls, but my nails are gone and I have no strength left and can find no purchase to pull myself out. I am at a lose as of to what to do. I wrote my Senators the following letters in hopes that maybe this would be my opportunity : Dear Illinois Senators: I know I am worth more to society dead and in pieces than I am alive and whole. For 36 years I have been wanting out, I do not fear death and after the past few years and seeing how we treat each other, it is clear that I really don't have hope for humankind redemption. Mankind is the lowest of the low, we are horrible to each other and we really have no hope for deliverance from ourselves, nor should we. We put ourselves in this position with our consistent fighting and hatred. Whatever, I am trying to make the point, why do I not get the choice to have a Physician assist my exit? I have researched my exit and my options seem to be intentional OD, which is the route I am leaning, an exit bag which at $30 is going to cost a lot less than the amount of heroine it's going to take to bring me down, not to mention, I have never shot or done heroine and I am pretty sure I am going to screw that up, or I could just hope I can drive a car into a wall at a fast enough speed after deploying the airbags because, damn safety features. Whatever route I choose I am sure I will mess it up and then the Government can just pay to keep me alive in a vegetative state until I FINALLY get to the point that I can finally get a Physician to assist in my Death with Dignity. Do you all see where this letter is going? It is bound to happen, so stop blocking it and let it happens so people who need it can stop screwing around and do what needs to be done. Or if that does not work, can I at least have a job? With Hope for My Death, Nicole S.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOCBDr5JWZH9-7K6zAfbOHWR0MCFf4CXc. This is a playlist with specific songs that I have chosen for you to listen to while you read my story. Enjoy :) You are here, in your room, sitting in front of your laptop watching some stupid TikTok videos, sometimes laughing and sometimes just with a poker face. You look through the terribly dusty window on which the sunbeams fall and what do you see? Some people may say that they don't see anything because there are no people, though, look at the trees, how tall and strong and powerful they are. Look at the leaves, have you ever seen them so green? No artist can ever depict such art on their canvas. Now ask yourself: did nature look so delightful, so colourful when there were so many people outdoors? Did it look like that? I guess you didn't remember because you were busy hanging out with your friends, huh? Had good times with them, I believe discussing some boyish or girlish stuff. I am sure you liked it. I am sure you want to experience the same but were you grateful for what you had and are you grateful for what you have now? Do you think that you lived those days correctly? Think before you answer. Everything happens for a reason. One day you woke up and realized that you can't go out: no more boring physics classes with fatty Mr Pinchpockaley who has a torn pocket on his beige suit, no school community workdays for taking care of the school gardens, no school at all. Seems like you shouldn't be sad about this, you didn't have fun there. You loved the late-night parties, drunk kisses with random people. You liked running away from your house, ignoring your parents, ignoring that they could be worried about you, you just didn't care...You cared about friends or better to say “toxic people”, who made you as much toxic as they are. You liked gossiping, laughing at others, especially Dorothy Angelson from your chemistry class. She is a nerd, she is so smart, and it always made you angry. Though you remember your small garden in front of your house, where you and Dorothy were taking care of flowers. -One day, when we grow up, we gonna take care of all flowers all over the world! -Yes! We will take care of all flowers and trees all over the world! (hug) -Dorothy, you are my best friend! -You are my best friend, too, Melly! You want her back. She was always there for you, you want back your dreams. You are lying there in your bad, in your headphones, ignoring the daily news about thousands of people who die every day because of the disease. You don't know what you gonna do for the next 24 hours, you don't know when the quarantine will end, you have no clue how you gonna stay indoors, you are lost. You feel like you are out of your mind, you feel like this is not your life. Suddenly, after 6 hours that you've spent in your room, thinking about those last 2 years, wondering whether you've lived them correctly or not, you hear a knock. -Honey, the dinner is ready. You feel bad because you don't remember when you had dinner with your parents for the last time. Downstairs you heard the smell of freshly roasted chicken with french fries and your favourite salad. In 5 minutes when you began eating your chicken, you realized, how much you have missed, and you just couldn't keep those tears anymore… After long hugs and kisses and apologies, you enjoyed your meal, helped your mom with the dishes. That day you finally found yourself and realized how much you've missed your parents. When you entered your room, you whispered: -I am back… You knew what you must do next -- get Dorothy back. You've spent a great deal of time searching for a good present for her. There was nothing until you went to the garden in front of your house and saw the flowers you and Dorothy took care of… you have never seen them so pretty. -Wow, seems like nature had to have a rest from people… After gathering the flowers, you put on that uncomfortable mask which covered your favourite dark purple lipstick and ran out of your house. In five minutes, you were in front of Dorothy's house door, and it opened. -I miss you Dor… Sorry for what I've done… I miss you so much. You cried a lot and very loud as if you needed it so much. -You know, I believe that this quarantine was just meant to be. I found myself! Dor, I am back! Dorothy was silent for a couple of seconds, then she said. -Wanna me to show you the book I got? It's about the correct way of taking care of flowers and trees. -Yes, Dor, I'd love to… She hugged you so tightly, and you both cried.. Sitting there alone in your room made you think, made you be alone with yourself and realize that you must take actions, you must fix your young teenage mistakes, and you did it… Sometimes staying all alone with themselves, people may start looking at everything from different angles and perspectives. Sometimes a long silence is needed to fully understand who we are.

There is a doctor's place next door from my place. Although for many of us, this time of pandemic is just quarantine life time, but for a doctor and other workers it is a time of hardship. It was during the first on set of virus , when hospitals were not even taking in any patients, and many hospital emergency services were closed. This doctor didn't even think for himself, and the virus infection risk he could be exposed to and started treating patients from his own clinic. He was rendering emergency services all for free. Several lives were saved at such time. Sitting in my room, I would see him leave everyday in his car. He could have easily remained at his home with his family in quarantine life, but he did his part like a duty. Although he did such great work, people in the neighborhood were kind of ignoring him. People were mostly scared from chances of getting infected from a potential person but they would not even look at him or wave to him. I could see he felt disheartened by that. When I went to talk to him about neighbors being so rude to him and ignoring him. He would laughingly say,” These people they aren't bad, they are afraid, that's it. They are trying to protect themselves and their family and that is the right thing. Don't worry for me.” It was then few days later, he was tested corona positive. He had mild symptoms and recovered after two weeks. After recovery, without giving a second thought he again got up for his task(Even though we tried to talk him out of it). He said that he knew his life could be at stake from the very day he decided to become a doctor. Then, a month later he died. The reason of death being severe respiratory illness which might have been caused by corona virus reinfection from other source or maybe we don't know. But this person died a hero. Such a selfless act. The bravery he showed during such period of crisis and terror, he is a character to salute. He touched many people's lives. He is now the inspiration for me and the people from the community. Being inspired by his acts, we built a place for isolation and quarantine in our community with the permission from the state. Since, many people are living in rented houses, the place served many people for isolation purpose. During this passive time, the single work we did gave us satisfaction to contribute. Even around each of us there are people doing the good work day and night. We need to admire and learn from them. Although, as an individual we can't stop this pandemic but we can fight it. It could be by directly helping infected ones, or even a few good words to them can boost their morale. So, this pandemic stay home be safe , but better than that build the safety by your deeds. Don't just do nothing...

The year 2020 has not been what any of us expected. That's an understatement to say the least. But a new year feels like a new start, and we welcomed 2020 with the blind optimism and hope that began every year. For my fiancé and me, 2020 held even more promise than years past. The light sparkling off my engagement ring mimicked the stars in our eyes, and we eagerly leapt into planning our wedding. Well, maybe it's more accurate to say that I eagerly leapt into planning our wedding. After all, I was the one who had literally spent hours (ok, days, who's counting?) of my life dreaming about this day. As my tastes had evolved through the years, so had the vivid details of my dreams. Elaborate, sparkling ball gowns transformed into simple, understated A-lines. Fancy venues and churches became scenic woods. Formal, brightly colored bridesmaid's dresses faded into flowing, natural hued gowns. Fall leaves blew away red rose petals. Casual, fun invites erased formal, fancy invitations. I could see it play out like a movie. Red and orange leaves whip through the air on the crisp, cool breeze. The green leaves left on the trees contrast sharply against the slate gray clouds threatening rain. Guests, dressed casually and prepared for weather, sit in chairs facing a clean white arch. Pachelbel's Canon begins, softly, cuing guests to turn around. My father stands next to me, waiting to walk me up the aisle. My family and friends smile in the audience. My bridesmaids stand in front of the arch, dresses blowing with the wind. There was just one detail that was never clear...my future husband. No matter how many times I revisited the dream, nothing changed; not until the moment I heard those four words I had been longing to hear: "Will you marry me?" The most beautiful words, coming from the most incredible, amazing man I had ever known. And in that moment, everything snapped into focus, and I saw him standing there, watching me walk up the aisle toward him, waiting to start our life together. And so, with the final piece of the puzzle in place, I waited (impatiently) for October 23, 2020. Then, COVID-19 flipped the world upside down. Cases escalated, every day life halted, and nothing was certain anymore. The world fell apart around us, and we were left with a decision. As reality set in, I retreated to my daydream of our special day. And I realized that something had changed. I watched the dream play out, but the details seemed different. The breeze had faltered, the colors dulled, the music muted. It was as if everything had faded—until I looked at him. I saw him smile at me, in full focus and clarity, and I realized that the wedding day I had dreamed of for so long wasn't as important to me as I had always believed. In that moment, I knew that what really mattered was getting to marry my best friend. Our wedding day was April 6, 2020, not October 23, 2020. Dead leaves rustled across the lawn in the soft, cool breeze. The green leaves growing on the bushes contrasted softly against the smoke gray clouds suggesting rain. Our five guests, dressed casually and hoping for good weather, sat in chairs facing a tree with sheer curtains draped over the branches, forming a makeshift arch. In lieu of Pachelbel's Canon, the young children next door provided running commentary loudly in the background. And my best friend and I walked up, hand in hand, to be married. As we started our life together, in a way we never would have expected, in a world that no one was prepared for, the details were suddenly more vivid, more beautiful, and more real than I ever could have imagined. And I knew that the memory of our wedding day would be far better than any dream.

The lock down had barely been lifted when people scampered on the road making the most of the time because no one knew when the state will be shut again. We heard about the terrible virus and we had so much confidence that before it gets to our country, it would be burned up by the heat in this part of the world, little did we know. It had come, the government declared a 2 weeks lock down leaving the masses stranded, almost hopeless and begging to survive. Soon the ban was lifted, only to be followed by a routine of work hours and a curfew of 8 pm- 6 am daily followed suit. This routine made life miserable for me but we could not object to it cause it was for our good. It was Friday, few minutes to 04: 00 pm, I had informed my colleagues that I would leave 2 hours after closure since I still had a pile of work yet to be done, I usually stay later than others compiling daily- monthly reports, thus I was left alone with my boss. I had nearly finished when I heard a knock on the door, it was my boss who came to inform me that he was going, I did not want to be left alone, I quickly shut down my system and followed him out. It was already late and he was not heading my direction. I bade him farewell hoping to see him the next week, I wish I had known what laid in store for me. Hurrying down the street, heading for the junction, I had to use the footbridge in order to get a cab that will go my way. A 100 meters to the bridge, I sighted a causally dressed young lady, she seemed to be waiting for someone, more so a stranger who needed direction, but I thought to myself, any sensible stranger would not wait on a lonely path just to ask for directions, my instinct gave a warning beep, run! I heard my heart tell me. Approaching the bridge, she took out her phone as if to call someone, she called out: "sister, please excuse me" i did not wait to hear what other information she had for me, I obeyed my instinct and took to my heels. She came after me, slowly and slowly, I ran as fast as I could up the bridge's stairs, straight and down again, my heartbeat, as loud as a gong. Racing down the stairs on the opposite lane, I flagged down a cab and hopped in without asking questions, I screamed "drive! We zoomed off and I felt at peace. A few meters into our journey, I noticed funny movements in the car, the driver kept using the rear mirror to look at me, his hair was braided, he had tattoos and a piercing on his nose, "okay I can overlook that" I said to myself, a nursing mother was in the front seat with her child, the lady by my side had an unkempt skin, she seemed to be uncomfortable, scared and all of that and a huge fair man by her side, making a total of 4 persons. I still did not feel anything was wrong in this cab, not until the lady beside me took out a spray from her bag and spoke in low tones, she told the man she just wanted to know what the spray scented like. I sat by the door, all the windows were partly down, I am allergic to harsh smell, so I wound the glass down, the driver wound it up from his seat, I did not know why I didn't oppose to this strange act. In split of seconds, she sprayed what she had towards me, I gave her a questionable look as to asking why she did that? I covered my nose, but luck was not on my side this time, even with my nose mask on, I had inhaled a good dose of it, instead of choking, I felt dizzy, that was when it dawned on me, I've been kidnapped, I screamed out loud: "from fry pan to fire, oh no! Just then did the same lady who seemed uncomfortable and scared asked of my name; "my name is Blue" I stammered, tears pouring from my eyes into my nose mask, "wow, I'm red then" they burst out laughing. She snatched my bag and started ransacking it, she said: "this babe is poor babe oh! she no get anything, what do we do? She pulled out something from my bag and threw it back with so much speed, she blurted: "eeww, disgusting fellow", just then did I realize she had taken out my handkerchief that was drenched in mucus from catarrh which I suffered through out the week. At every point where it seemed like I would sleep off, she gave me a slap to concentrate. She took out my wallet and found 2 expired debit cards, an expired university identity card, a few passports and just the complete amount of money to take me home. She took out my umbrella, then my ballerina shoes and she exclaimed; "did something die in your shoes, why do they smell so awful", I still couldn't say a word, I was so terrified. They dropped me at a junction I never knew, and carted away with my umbrella( I loved that umbrella so much). Sucked up in fear, I found another cab, this time I assessed the driver to the point he said; "madam, are you going or not? I sat all cuddled up at the back seat, wishing I could teleport myself from the car to the arms of my mama. I got home terrified, dizzy and uncoordinated. My sister mailed my boss asking for a week leave, he gave two, in his words: "let her quarantine herself".

On March 9th, 2020, my husband and I decided to start self-isolating. We were on a flight from Los Angeles back to Seattle the day prior. The man in the window seat was coughing as he talked to my husband about the cruise he was on. The news recently told the story of a security worker at the L.A. airport who was diagnosed with the virus. Between the coughing cruise man and the news, we thought we should stay home for a few weeks to make sure we were healthy. My fortieth birthday fell in this time frame. Not having any sort of get together with friends was the last thing I expected to happen on my milestone day. While weeding the yard in front of the house in those first weeks, a young blond woman walked towards me slowly and started talking to me from the middle of the street to keep her distance. “Hey! Do you live here?” she said. “Yes. Where do you live?” “I just moved into that unit across the street." She pointed. "I'm single and I don't know anyone here, so I wanted to say hello.” “Welcome to the neighborhood! What's your name?” “Mari with an ‘I'. What's yours?” We exchanged small talk that morphed into big talk. I found out we had both moved from the same neighborhood in Brooklyn, about ten years apart. I also discovered she was semi-disabled by multiple auto-immune diseases and Lyme disease. She asked if it was alright to have my phone number in case of any emergencies, so I gave it to her. I turned to finish weeding, the flowery part of the yard looking better than it ever had before. Mari did not reach out again for a while. She texted me one day to ask if I had something to sleep on. Her air mattress had popped in the middle of the night. I offered her our camping roll, which was a few inches thick. She thanked me profusely and I left it on her porch in the evening. I was not sure how sleeping on it for an extended period would feel, especially with body aches. Hopefully, it would be better than a bare wood floor. The following day, another neighbor surprised me and mowed the city strip in front of our house. (It is a three-foot-wide strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street curb.) We only had a weed wacker, so it was a lot of effort to cut all the grass. I watched from the window as this amazing human walked across and back in about two minutes, saving us at least a half hour. She lived two houses away and I had never met her before. Seeing that she had lots of plants in her windows, I brought her a houseplant she did not have and a thank you note. She now mows the little plot of grass regularly and I leave her little gifts. Neighbors began helping each other more, many of us with newfound free time. I saw a man bringing a jug of either hand sanitizer or booze to a house bound couple nearby. The folks diagonally across the street put up a simple sign that reads “Thank you delivery heroes” with a box of treats next to it. I gave some fabric face masks I sewed to a different neighbor who mentioned she needed some. She later brought me homemade muffins and told me to help myself to her herb garden. I continued to help Mari when she was in need. She never asked for anything major, only to borrow home goods on occasion or to ask me to bring a package to the post office. After a few months, she moved into a special care facility. My house always felt like home, but my neighborhood never felt like a community the way it does now. All of us used to constantly rush from place to place, live our own unique lives, and wave hello in passing. My neighbors and I now spend socially distant time outside together, getting to know each other better. In disconnecting from ‘normal' life, I feel more connected today than before. Today, I am grateful for my neighbors.

On the previous November 2019 the entire world stood thunderstruck facing new Virus Appeared in China in Wuhan province and invaded the whole world on January 2020. It affected the entire world but here I am talking about the Egyptian society that I belong to. And we started the home quarantine Through this time most of people started working from home and others lost their jobs but I was one of those who worked at home in this period which affected all my life aspects It was a unique experience to be in home quarantine (optional detention) because all our life activities was inside home and it was so difficult to stay inside home for long time and has no option to go out except for necessities but I adapted with staying home Through this period I learnt a lot of things and my relationship with my family has been changed (I have wife and 3 kids (2 boys and a girl)) because they stayed and studied at home because of schools closing too. I found out that a man has a role other than material spending, I noticed that my children's relationship with each other was half-hearted and every one of them has his private matters and problems that I did not know because I was busy with my work but I started getting close to them And know what is going on in their thoughts , mind , hobbies and friends too I realized what we should do as parents to bring up our children, so I started to concentrate on Bringing up, guidance and education of my children and I talked with them a lot through this time. Relationship with my children improved and I knew that presence of man at home is very important In addition to relationship with my wife became better and I felt what is called marital life . All activities were being done in the house like haircuts using a haircut machine for everyone for avoiding infection. My work discipline has been completely changed and I started to work from home and prepared a special place for that, it was difficult in the beginning and I tried to create suitable circumstances. As for me it was so difficult because I work as Internal Audit Manager so I was receiving documents by E-mail and collect all documents, analyze data , type reports and send it again to BOD (Board Of Directors) But this experience trained me to work under pressure and within any circumstances. We started to ask about all our neighbors, friends and our relatives and help each others Some neighbors started to buy commodities for others and others were frightened of infection .So they kept away from people We were buying the most necessary commodities such as food and medical supplies with a numerous volume because it was the only necessity that allow us to get out of home as luxuries have no place during in this time In this period, our perception of life changed and we rearranged our interests and priorities and we found out that health is the most important thing in our life We started to feel sorrow and danger as well, because we lost some of the people around us due to the Corona virus, We began eagerly asking about all our relatives and neighbors, and looking into their condition We purified our homes and we used Antiseptics and disinfectants such as alcohol and Chlorine ..Etc We bought all preventive medical supplies and gave rules to all individuals within home to use soap for washing hands and all body This Experience was so important in our lives .I do not think that we may forget it forever and we will not have life lesson like this again This period taught us that we cannot ever rely on people and we must depend on Allah (God) because people abilities are so limited and stood helpless vs. this Virus and Allah (God) power has no limit And only God able to reveal this epidemic and any other affliction.

I was not actually thinking of it until I felt like I was asked to write about it, so here it comes. At quarantine I wasn't living that much but I was feeling so much, emotions which I learned to name during therapy, that I do for a long time now, but I forgot because for a really significant amount of time I haven't been dealing with myself alone, but I have a thing I learned about me. I like to feel the Sun. So this day I got up at my regular time, 8:30 a.m., and while I was doing some hibiscus tea, I turned my face and saw this sunlight shinning on the plants in my backyard. Then I put the tea in a cup and went to see the sun, I stood there for about 10 minutes with my eyes closed, just meditating. Hence, I decided to repeat this in the following mornings. For the whole week I woke up around 8:30 am, made my tea and went see this slit of light that illuminated the plants I myself planted a couple years ago willing to control my anxiety, it worked, allied with those things you know. It's funny how this light always shone over there, but I never really paid attention to it. It felt like a refuge, it felt a lot alike to be free. Whatsoever, this other day started raining and instead of being in the backyard doing my brand new routine, I started to scroll my social media feed and saw this post about eternalize your experience and memories by writing about it, so started digging into my memories everything that happened at home during quarantine and felt like an obligation to expose this experience, nothing was wrong. On the other hand, everything couldn't be more in the right place with my parents and sister, beside this week that was a month ago, which I lost two dears friends, not because of Covid, but because of it, we could not say a proper good bye, in fact, thousands of people out there couldn't offer their condolences to their loved ones. On this week I felt a darkness inside me, I felt sad for my friends, guilty and angry at those who were not respecting the social isolation, how come people could be this selfish knowing that every day thousands and thousands of people die in such drastic ways, the doctors and nurses were working twice as hard and people were struggling to survive. Nevertheless, I was lucky to be able to stay at home and connect with my family in innumerous possibilities, some good days, some bad days, in general, more good days than bad ones. So today, for the tenth time my sister did those chocolates with strawberries tartlets that she learned on the internet, those little pies where we find at bakeries and are incredible easy to make. Bakery, you just lost a client. Today, for the thirtieth time my father made his mind that he had to fix something that was not even broke. Today, for the fiftieth time my mother decided to clean up all the closets and cabinets of the house, it was a pile of useless papers to throw away, books from my school time, some History didactic books, that made me wonder about what history books will be like 10 years from now, another pile of clothes to donate, pieces which we didn't even remember, that we kept just in case this specific trend would be back and clearly didn't fit us anymore. Also today, for the thousandth time we laughed at my sister that if she doesn't do a standup comedy after quarantine, I'll do it for her, she's the most hilarious person I know, she makes fun of everything, the strange way I sleep, the weird habits my mother has, about how everything makes me cry, the weird habits our father has as well and every day she captures something different in all of us. Back to my daily routine, after this summer rainy day, very common here at this two degree below equator line city, I got back to my mourning ritual. Tea, Sun, meditation. After that I sat in front of my computer in my white desk seeing my bedroom's off white wall with some photos and random drawings on it, started working and an idea to write came to me and it reminded me this feeling of gratitude, but how can I put this feeling in a not boring and cliché words? I'm healthy, my parents are healthy, I'm at home, We are closer than ever. I'm lucky. What is all that noise? I can't believe it. My mother decided to change the paintings from wall and the furniture to different spots. Yeah, I think this kind stuff will be very common from now on, at least until the quarantine is over.

This year, we all are facing something we didn't even think about. A very unnamed and destructive living character came into existence this year. The whole world has faced its destruction and named it as CORONA virus emerged from China and did a world tour without having any visa and passport. The impact of this virus is irredeemable. And this virus bound us to live in home quarantine. This situation made us realize a need of proper lockdown and home quarantine system. From here, my story of home quarantine begins- In INDIA, due to this virus a very prolonged lockdown started. My quarantine life was also like everyone else's just to stay at home, do nothing and pass my time. Initially, I was quite happy that for some days I didn't have to go anywhere. I was very excited because I had just completed my 10th exam and was indeed free from studies. I started my first day of lockdown or home quarantine with waking up late in the morning, getting fresh and having my breakfast. I passed my day watching Netflix movies or series, playing online games, listening music and having fun. I passed two or three more days like that but after that my boring passage of time started because I was getting fed up with my daily routines. There is a phrase in hindi “Khali dimag saitaan ka ghar” in English it means “Empty mind devil's house” according to this phrase, Some mischievous work occurred in my brain and we prepared to make Pani puri an Indian street dish but that enraged my mom a lot because of the mess we made. After that I was not allowed to enter in the kitchen. I was left with two bedrooms, a small corridor and bathroom where I could roam. At first, I was thinking about a few days of lockdown but it turned into few months of lockdown. I actually passed about two and a half months staying at home. We made a lot of efforts to go to our hometown and finally we got pass to move for about 3 hours amid the situation out there and moved to our hometown for about a month. I really enjoyed a lot with my three cousin brothers and my brother. We learnt how to make Idli sambhar a south Indian dish with the help of youtube and we were quiet successful because that was so delicious. We used to watch a lot of movies like series of Harry Potter, Zero dark thirty, The mask and many more. After so many years, I watched horror movies one after another. I watched Amityville house and The possession of Hannah grace but I didn't find it that much scaring but the fact is I watched about half part of the movie closing my eye. But the next day, I watched The conjuring and I was very scared the whole day. That night, I got scared when my brother waved his blanket over me because only that ghost look was moving in my head. But you can say I am that much stubborn that instead of all that scary feeling I watched Conjuring 2 the next day. And that look of ghost Valak haunted me for weeks and I have once again decided not to watch horror movies. Again, after a month or so we moved to our place and lived about two more weeks in home quarantine. And I realized that my father has very much patience because no one can believe that he passed his whole lockdown watching Corona updates on news. I believe that we should know what is going on in the world but that much would drive someone insane but hats off for my father. But this lockdown had some positive impact on environment. Nature of many parts of India improved because we were not going out that proves that we have spoiled our nature and we are the one who is facing its consequences. Instead of positive I noticed psychology of most of the Indians. I have mentioned myself stubborn above but I think I am not that much because people in India were again and again breaking lockdown and our police officers had to make efforts to make them stay at home. It proves whether the most of the people are not aware of the situation or they want to spread this virus. After that much attempt the commencement of Unlock 1 announced. But ending of lockdown does not mean that corona has stopped its spreading. Instead of unlock we are getting out when it is necessary because we are the only ones who can keep our immunity strong and be safe. Here comes the end of my story with the pray that our world will get rid of this problem very soon and we will again be free to visit any place we want instead of fear of corona spreading. And god will support us with every possible ways.

It all started on a very normal day of quarantine. I was sitting around and doing what I had been doing for the past few weeks. Sleeping, eating, reading, and watching TV. Nothing very productive or demanding. Then my sewing teacher sent me a link for a tutorial and a blog post about masks. The blog post asked for people to make masks and donate them to our local medical facilities because they were quickly running out. My sewing teacher had the idea for us to make a few dozen masks and donate them. It started small. My mom started asking around on Facebook if anyone had any elastic that we could buy. That didn't work out in the way we were hoping. Eventually, my mom ordered some on Amazon. I thought would be the end of it. But it wasn't. My mom's posts caught the attention of someone with a very harebrained idea. This person had the idea to start a movement. This idea was called "Operation Come Together". I was the first person to make a mask for Operation Come Together. From then on it grew and grew into something amazing. It astounded me to see how many people came together to help stop the spread of COVID-19. There were countless volunteers and even more donations. All the while I made masks. In the beginning, the need was so great that I ended up sitting at my sewing machine for three days almost non-stop. I only took breaks for food, the bathroom, and sleep. It was exhausting and got a little monotonous, but it was worth it. After that, I slowed down. I worked on masks for a few hours a day. Eventually, I started to go to the headquarters of Operation Come Together with my mom. I went a few times, but I didn't go very often. It was very risky because my little brother is immune-compromised. After a few visits, I stayed at home to make masks. After about a month had passed the mask shortage in our area was curved and the factories had enough time to make and send more out. This was at the very beginning of quarantine. Now, almost five months into quarantine, I only make masks occasionally when someone needs them. Even though the rush has stopped, COVID-19 is still a pressing issue for all of our daily lives. It takes our loved ones, cancelled school, and has caused many of our family members to lose their jobs. It is a scary time that we live in. But I believe that as long as people are willing to help and to stand by those who need it, we will get through this.