My Experience of COVID-19

By Vivaan Kartik, 11

My back was hunched as I trudged down the path, I had all my school books stuffed in my school bag. My mind was exploding as I tried to grasp the full implications of the inevitable. Our school was closing down for five weeks, at least…..

The COVID-19 originated in a wet market in Wuhan, China and this is not the first time that a virus has been transferred through a wet market. The first cases of COVID-19 came into existence in December 2019 when Chinese doctors treated many ‘pneumonia-like’ cases. Not long after Japan, South Korea and Thailand confirmed cases. On January 30th the WHO declared it as a ‘Global Health Emergency’. After that there was no stopping this new disease. The virus was wreaking havoc on public life. Soon what used to be huge and bustling cities turned into ‘ghost towns’ as officials imposed lock downs and stricter rules of social distancing. Schools, leisure activities, restaurants and offices were closed. Only necessities were spared. In a state of frenzy, people started overloading on soaps, staple foods, toilet rolls, etc. The supplies were exhausted and the shelves were wiped clean.

COVID-19 is indeed an unprecedented crisis for humanity. As I look back, I had my share of disappointments too when school closure was announced. The prestigious math competition in Luxembourg in which I was to represent my school got cancelled and all of my year’s efforts seemed nullified. My birthday party got cancelled. The spring time was arriving and I hated to see all that lovely sunshine and our holiday plans to Greece lay waste.

There are a few good things that happened too, like the global CO2 emissions plummeted. Now, with so much time on our hands we as a family are interacting way more than usual and are able to enjoy quality time with each other–more board games, more movie nights and the list is endless. Even as an individual I have got this time to unwind from a very tight schedule and the constant rush to get somewhere on time. The experience of online schooling was a totally new and exciting one for me. I felt very grown up. Newton discovered his first law of motion while he was hiding from the Black Death! No one expects us to make such a ground breaking discovery but I have used this time to develop new skills (badminton and cooking), gain knowledge on interesting subjects (Periodic Table and Forces), and hone my existing language skills (learning the Hindi script and enhancing my German vocabulary by reading the Harry Potter series in German). After all, an empty mind is a devil’s workshop.

When Pandora opens the box hundreds of black and evil creatures fly out. But then, a white and lovely creature, Hope flutters out too. Hope, which will get us through these times of distress, and a time when the future is literally unknown.

Vivaan Kartik, 11
Horgen, Switzerland