When we hear the word pandemic, what are the things that flash into our minds? For me when I hear the word pandemic the only thing that comes to my mind is how everything changed in a month. Things drastically changed in the lives of many people around the world, including us, students. The struggles were written all over the face of people, but still able to reach our goals and continue with our paused journey.
The sudden pause in daily activities of people, a stow of ways to cope in this pandemic was served right in front of us like; Online classes for the students, work from home set up for the employees and online selling for vendors and other respective strategies for daily survival.
Today, we are still in the middle of this pandemic but people are starting to continue the lives they left outside their homes, but the students are still having a hard time with their studies. The online class is a lot stressful than traditional face-to-face classes, many are dropping from the previous school year up to this year because some cannot afford to have a reliable internet connection, some cannot afford to buy gadgets for the online learning setup, while the others need to work for their families to be able to put food on the table. Despite the struggles we are facing today, some continue to survive and live their lives to the fullest.
As journalism students we miss the typical class like the one where you need to wake up early every morning, wearing school uniforms, and also hanging out with your friends at the end of school. But because of the new normal, many students became innovative and creative to submit their activities and projects. As a journalism student as of today, I always wake up early in the morning to eat my breakfast since our class will start at 8:00 am until 11:00 am. Our teachers explain the lesson by screen sharing slides and sometimes they prefer calling on students for recitation. But the funny thing here is that some students quickly leave the meeting, acting like their microphone is broken, just to avoid calling out their names . And also the activities as time went by became harder and harder to finish. It’s like even the deadlines are two weeks apart, it seems very fast approaching.
Some of the activities are more on video types since we are journalism students. We need to be engaged in our work, like we use green screens and editing applications to fulfill what is needed even if we did not go outside. But there are some group activities that really need a group meetup so we have no choice but to do it face-to-face safely.
The first time we experienced this online setup was a bit difficult to adjust due to several reasons like having a slow internet connection, low performance gadget and also the outside noise. But as I gradually became used to the online platforms, I can say that I am finally becoming comfortable with online-learning.
Establishments, schools, and vacation sites were still closed, the time outside our homes are very limited. Occasions were being celebrated inside of our home because gatherings are strictly prohibited and we can only gather through our phones so a strong internet connection is essential today. This New normal set-up is quite giving us burnout, but we cannot have unlimited time to chill and relax with our friends because the virus is still here.
Many things will change because of this New Normal. We should not lose our hope, we still have our fight to win and it’s better to die fighting than to die giving up. Always find the beauty in unusual things because positivity and determination is the key to surviving in this life, continuing your journey, and achieving your dreams.
By: Stephanie Lagman & Ellard Ordonez
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