One Year of Unprecedented
I remember posting on Instagram Stories about this virus that had broken out in China around late December. It seemed interesting but removed from my situation, sitting on a bus on the way to college in Manchester. Fast forward to March 2021 and my life is drastically different. I think you all know how.
March: Lockdown I & Summer
"Daily walks, board games and films made up my days as there was nothing to do for my grades anymore."
Since March 2020, I have been at home. College ended in March 2020, with a U-turn telling us that A-Levels suddenly were not happening (so those extra nights spent on revision, wasted) and waving goodbye to friends until the summer (or so we thought). Lockdown I was hard, but everyone was home too. Daily walks, board games and films made up my days as there was nothing to do for my grades anymore. Summer 2020 arrived and it was not as crazy as expected. But, it was the opening of restaurants and shops, so I was able to actually go outside and have fun (to a limited extent). I still could not see my friends properly, given rules on social distancing and crowds. I felt that we had made it through, we listened to Government rules and now we would be able to return to normality. Oh, how naive I was.
September: November, US Election & Lockdown II
"It was the highlight of my week, choosing what to wear, engrossing myself in classes more than ever and talking non stop to these classmates I had never met, because who knows when I would get to meet people again?"
I was very optimistic about September, being the start of university (putting the GCSEs/A-Levels fiasco aside for a second). I was expecting a full return to education after months of lockdown and no social contact. September came and we were told to stay home. Online learning commenced, only temporarily, they had said. November brought Lockdown II, which meant I had stayed home for six months now. This time, the Government allowed schools to remain open, so my brother, a Year 11 student, returned to the classroom. This was my most exciting time: I was allowed to go to university to attend a lecture once a week for a couple of hours. It was the highlight of my week, choosing what to wear, engrossing myself in classes more than ever and talking non stop to these classmates I had never met, because who knows when I would get to meet people again? And how could I forget, the US election took up a lot of my time in November, a welcome distraction from the lockdown. I also finally began my blog, which I had wanted to for months but never got round to doing. My first articles were election related, and the whole counting issues that went on for days fascinated me and gave ample material to analyse and discuss with my readers.
December: Politics, New Year & Lockdown III
"Greater Manchester could not be tiered and then not compensated accordingly; our people would suffer, and thankfully our leaders spoke up when we needed them. This is what true leadership looks like, in times when the people need it most."
December was a turning point. I expected limited restrictions because at this point, the economy was *not in the best condition* and Christmas shopping would provide the boost we all needed, financially and spiritually. We ended up with no Christmas markets and Tier 3 for Greater Manchester. University gives extended breaks, so I was cooped up indoors again. Our placement in Tier 3 brought up decades old arguments of the North-South divide, with the Greater Manchester Mayor (Andy Burnham) alongside the Leader of the Manchester City Council (Sir Richard Leese) engaging in a broil with Westminister over pay packages for the furloughed and self-employed. This was mainly in October but conversations went on for weeks. As an activist, this was very encouraging and inspiring to watch. Burnham and Leese stood up to London and the Government because what was offered to Greater Manchester was unacceptable. This incident also taught me how party politics seems to creep in even at times of national crisis. Greater Manchester could not be tiered and then not compensated accordingly; our people would suffer, and thankfully our leaders spoke up when we needed them. This is what true leadership looks like, in times when the people need it most.
January marked 2021, the end of the horror 2020, so everyone seemed excited to resume life again. Sadly, New Year's displays were banned and London along with several major cities held no official fireworks display. And we were then plunged in to Lockdown III after 5 days of 2021. For me, no university again, stay home and learn your degree via Microsoft Teams. Schools were closed too this time, and didn't return until 8th March.
Present Day: March 2021
"I am exhausted of living in a pandemic and being expected to work to pre-pandemic capacity."
We are coming to the end of March now. My brother went back to school (still Year 11, he has no exams for GCSEs but will do class assessments, we will see how this is handled after last year's mess). I have been at home since January, but really it has been a year. I have a few weeks left of first year, and I will have completed a year of university, despite being on campus no more than five times.
I have been at home for a year, 365 days, and I am tired of this all. I have completed my assessments and work purely online. I have stayed with numerous youth projects and completed work for them during lockdown (miraculously). I have done all of this from my bedroom, because I have not been to a library since March.
And yet, I am constantly expected to perform. I don't seem as happy on a meeting, or I seem disengaged. I am exhausted of living in a pandemic and being expected to work to pre-pandemic capacity. I have not been out properly since March. I have not made many friends, discovered my favourite libraries or tried new experiences. I am paying £9,250 for 4 hours of tuition from my university per week. Totally worth it, thanks for asking.
There is talk of vaccines and every UK adult vaccinated by July. This is all very promising. Then the EU is engaging in politics with the UK and there is talk of supplies being reduced dramatically, so this is in doubt.
I mention the vaccine because some will say, it's not all doom and gloom, there is hope. We've been clinging to hope since March 2020. We thought September would be normality, then January and now they're saying summer 2021. Given the track record, my expectations are realistic and no longer optimistic.
Conclusion
"You'll see plenty of positive articles, as people are trying to keep spirits up and instill hope, but I don't want to sugarcoat my experience and I shouldn't have to."
This week is the one year anniversary of lockdown. It's been awful and horrible but we're supposed to pretend it's been a little "challenging". I'm tired of looking at screens (yes I'm aware of the irony). I don't want to tell you how to make things better, my "top tips to beating lockdown blues" because I don't have any. Because we need to feel these emotions. Writing this article helped me get this mess out of my head, and made me realise just how much I was frustrated with the situation I find myself in that I can't control. It's ok to be upset, or confused, we're all on an emotional rollercoaster and no one has ever been in our position before, so there's no set way on how to react. I thought my one year lockdown post would be mostly positive, focusing on what we've learnt and how we've had time to recharge, but I needed to bring attention to the negative aspects. You'll see plenty of positive articles, as people are trying to keep spirits up and instill hope, but I don't want to sugarcoat my experience and I shouldn't have to.
Maybe your experience is different, maybe you found lockdown refreshing, that's ok too because it's your experience. How has your lockdown really been, have you enjoyed it, hated it or both?
Additional Notes:
- If you are feeling lonely or finding it hard to cope in these times, call the free and confidential
British Red Cross Support Line, 0808 196 3651 open daily from 10am-6pm
- Get in touch if you have any comments on this article! You can add a comment or message directly.
Comments