Getting acclimated to something so sudden or unknown wasn’t new for me. I have been moving from time to time and this made me cope with situations. Although this one was quite different than my usual situations, it deprived me from human interaction. I had to come up with a quick way to distract myself from this situation and maintain my mental health during the pandemic.
I did early affirmations, joined a virtual yoga class from Tanzania, changed my diet and stopped eating unhealthy food during this period. I also prayed and worshipped God throughout quarantine and that helped me preserve my inner peace I was taking morning and evening strolls around Pyla. I was also playing card games every evening with my flatmates and talk to people back home to ensure that everyone is safe. I listened to slow songs to keep up with the rhythm and that helped me relax a lot. Moreover, I started experimenting in different cuisines watching videos from YouTube and trying to replicate the dishes. By the way, it was a total failure since most of the time I didn’t have all the necessary ingredients! My painting skills were tremendously improved, since I spent some time to master my craft and I am much better at the moment. Learning new skills and keeping social interaction whenever possible really helped my mental stability. I tried to spend a considerable amount of time working on my assignments, which took most of my time. I learnt to improvise, be patient and let nature take its course.
The pandemic situation made me realise that I am diligent, pragmatic and vigilant in most scenarios. Last but not least, if you ask me what COVID-19 quarantine left me, is that I discovered my true self!