58 How a Pandemic and a Fracture Shape Our Perception

It was the beginning of my high school journey. New friends, new school, and new opportunities. Yet, the time was cut relatively short when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. With 200 cases and 2 weeks of school closure, we found ourselves locked away for another 18 months. I was 14 at the beginning of the pandemic, just starting grade nine in a Toronto school. I joined the student council and met a new group of friends, where my time in high school was so enjoyable that I did not want to leave. However, the pandemic hit, and we suddenly found ourselves at home learning through screens, which was more frustrating and unmotivating for us students. This full lockdown was a major change to our daily routine. Where we had a steady routine from going to school and visiting family and friends, quickly became, waking up to stare at a screen for hours. My family and I were serious about ensuring we sanitized, quarantined, and practiced social distancing as a means to play a part in public health efforts to reduce transmission of COVID-19. As the pandemic progressed, the years quickly blurred into one, and somehow the entirety of grade 10 was gone, and we were more than halfway done with our high school degree.

A common effect of the pandemic was the mental impact that was felt by many like me. To maintain my mental wellness, I often did at-home workouts or Pilates to keep myself productive, yet this too stopped quickly after I fractured my knee, putting a stop to my fitness endeavors. With a pandemic and then an injury, I recall my mental health deteriorated quickly with the reduced ability to move around and leave my home. This further led to physical issues, where my body was not getting the healthy routine that it needed. During those moments, life seemed to be on pause. Now looking back, it was all a blur, a forgotten lived experience. Amidst the pandemic, the only “safe” places were parks, however, one could do only so much in these areas. I remember wanting to meet with friends and visit my grandparents, as those moments are pivotal to my happiness, but we were to rely on video calls as a means of communication, which did not give me the same feeling. This was the greatest challenge as the pandemic barred me from activities that I enjoyed the most, and it felt like a sense of disconnect. It was not till the removal of some public measures, such as finally being able to participate in group activities within a bubble of twenty people, that I was finally around those I love. I was grateful for the moment when I was able to see my family during Eid 2020 and was finally able to exchange gifts and eat together after a long time. I believe one can say that good things did come out of the COVID-19 pandemic; I learned to be more appreciative of intimate moments and the true value of having a close-knit family.

The pandemic was the awakening of appreciation for our culture. My family is from Bangladesh, where hospitality is a strict value and makes up our practices. From family get-togethers and celebrating with traditional wear, COVID quickly put a temporary end to this custom. Whereas I never enjoyed dressing up and hosting, COVID shockingly made me miss it. Hospitality brought warmth into our homes and built up our morals such that my siblings and I learned the importance of a tight-knit community and taking care of others. The pandemic changed this culture to relying entirely on hospitality, where I learned to show care by making small gestures for someone I loved. Hence, through actions of delivering food, and documenting my moments of creativity to showcase to my Grandparents, small acts became an extensive show of affection. Similarly, I saw this practice of hospitality blend into Western culture as well. Likewise, people gave gifts to their neighbors and supported each other through words. In the world prior to the pandemic, this would have been shrugged off, but post-2020 till now, society has started to change its culture to appreciate the little things that one does. Culture in Canada has adjusted to taking care of strangers. We advocate more, give gifts to delivery and healthcare workers, and importantly, listen to our bodies, showing kindness for our wellbeing.

Looking back to the times of the COVID pandemic, it has come to my realization the value of social media as a source of communication during this event. Without such, I would not have been able to maintain friendships or learn to enjoy virtual movie nights and video games as a way to connect with others. Moreover, it was one of the main sources of information that allowed me to keep track of what was happening around the world, learning the specifics of the pathogen and public health, which I believe fueled my interest in epidemiology. Furthermore, I can now comprehend the secrecy and stigma associated with COVID. For instance, people did not want to be known to have COVID as it can elicit blame or a false image of “breaking the mandates.” This also led to people denying the need for physical distancing or quarantine, as individuals did not want to accept the change in their lives. In specific, I know many friends that would label me as being too strict or a “player by the rules,” because they did not want to accept reality. As much as it was frustrating, my further research on COVID-19 led me to stick true to my values. COVID likewise brought out social movements that were constantly tamped down, but society had enough. From xenophobia to Black Lives Matter, society started to question the motives of authorities and trends that allowed such discrimination. Though COVID may have restricted the movement of people, it still allowed voices to be globally heard. As mentioned, social media became a cornerstone in pushing rights. Stigma and misinformation of nonsense treatments were also replaced with people using science to push for vaccination and quarantine practices.

Conclusively, the collective experiences of COVID are a segway into how pandemics shape our life experiences and stories, and everyone has something to share. It is more than becoming sick; our education, mental health, and relationships all felt an impact. If this period were to be studied a century from now, each experience would be part of the bigger picture. Scholars will have to look at the timeframe before and post-COVID to identify the changes that the pandemic has caused. It will also serve as a learning experience on how to get society better influenced into making safe choices, that can help prevent outbreaks from turning into pandemics. A much-needed emphasis must be placed on mental and physical changes, and how to stay healthy when we do not have the mobility to do so. Lastly, scholars must use these collective COVID experiences to understand that there are scientific and social factors involved in pandemics, and how research is required to change to reflect both accurately. It is then that society can be aided during difficult times.