Hey everyone! I’m Aliza Shaikh from Mumbai.

As we all know that we are going through this pandemic, and it’s still not over. I remember last year in 2019 when I wrote in my diary, about how wonderful my 2020 would turn out to be. All of a sudden, though, 2020 just proved me to wrong.

From the past 6 months of the pandemic I’ve realized that I have experienced something which I have never thought of. At the same time, I also got to learn a few basic things which we didn’t follow previously, when there was no pandemic. Simple hygienic things like using mask to protect ourselves from viruses, bacteria and pollution. Using sanitizer to protect ourselves from germs. I also learnt to follow new rules and regulations made to adopt in this modern period.

One thing that really touched me is that without luxurious things also we can still live life. John Keats says “A thing of beauty is a joy forever” and your family is itself a joy for you, so then why do we move around in search of joy. Joy is everywhere: it’s just that you need to be a aware about it. I learnt that even though there were many festivals that came and went I still learnt to manage myself by staying home and safe. I learnt the habit of controlling myself and that’s the best habit a “good human” can ever build in themselves.

I also learnt that basic things like education which was stopped by closing all the schools brought so many complications to children but I’M very thankful that there is online education which is still on…… there’s still hope alive in ourselves when we are still learning. Most importantly I learnt one that we are “learning to learn” even though there are schools all closed.

At the same time, I realised that interaction with teacher is the best communication then via online, because that’s our habit that we are carrying from so many years. One thing that I loved the most is that just a simple smile to your mom your dad or your neighbours gives you so much of pleasure that even though we are in the pandemic we are still happy and we don’t feel like pandemic exists.

Covid19 taught each one of us that wherever the problems take you, you must learn to live in that, adjust yourself in that without blaming yourself that that you were not meant to reach at this situation. It’s life and it takes us everywhere it wants to, to teach us a good lesson of what life really is. A lot of questions came into my mind during this pandemic but that was only because I was aware of the situation. So most importantly, I learnt to be aware, alert, grit and to ownership to take care of myself during this pandemic and focus towards my goals even during this pandemic: That whatever happens, I am still going to learn, it’s like learning to learn not only for the exams but to educate myself.

One thing that I would again and always repeat is we are learning to learn and we are going to learn each and every part throughout our lives, because “we are meant to learn”.

– Aliza Shaikh, Student at Clay