Pandemic Ka Lang, I am a Filipino

It brought fear. It brought a lot of negativity. Despite the gloomy mood it brings, there arose a light in the darkness opening windows of opportunities. 

This pandemic lingering around us truly brings fear as it puts people's lives at risk. Due to it numbers of establishments had to close down and cut down the number of employees as the economy declined. It started off to a gloomy start but it helped each and every one realize things during the quarantine. 

The sudden end of the previous school year last March was a shocking news. I felt quite saddened after hearing it. As time flew by though, I realized that now that I have a lot of time to kill, why not start practicing skills that I have never done before. Do things that wanted to do long ago but lacked time. 

During the quarantine period, I learned about myself more. I discovered about the things that I am passionate about and my weaknesses that I would want to improve. It was really about self-discovery during those times. There, I have learned that I am really fond of doing calligraphy, reading stories under the mystery/thriller genre, watching crime stories, and also learning dance choreographies. I also started working out which I kind of hated at first but now I really enjoy doing it.

In addition to learning more about myself, I also observed how the atmosphere around me started to change, the people in the environment. My family, for example, we've gotten quite closer to each other than before. We share stories to one another during meal time. We help each other in meal preparation and also watch television together. Unlike before when we were busy with our own things because of school activities and their works that it seemed like we barely had time to bond together. 

Because of the decline in economy, fellow Filipinos thought of ways on how to get income despite the ongoing pandemic. They did online selling. There, they displayed their stunning baked goods and delicacies for the public to view and to possibly buy if interested. Plants were also sold and exchanged to generate income. Beauty products and clothes were also included. It also turned to a hobby for most. 

I must say that I'm proud of our fellow citizens that despite the pandemic, they seized the opportunity to think of ways on how to generate income since we are all struggling to survive. We, Filipinos, still smile and see the silver lining in every problem that we face.

As social media is widely used these days, Filipino youth use it as a medium to share information to others about the pandemic. This is already considered as a big contribution because as simple as it may be, it still helps in spreading out the word to those who are uninformed yet about it. It helps in waking up the people to the reality that we are facing right now. There are also young content creators that help the public by donating their generated income to those who are in need. But to me, the biggest contribution of our youth would be listening to the experts and observing the health protocols which are made for us to be safe.

The pandemic might be deemed as a curse, it is also a blessing in disguise. It resulted to lockdown and quarantine that was seen boring and make people unproductive. Nonetheless, those time helped the people discover and learn about new things and make them realize how they turned a blind eye on things that needed utmost attention.  

With the lingering threat still, let us do by all means we can to stay safe and pray for one another that we are all going to get through this together. Let us pray and hope that this dark tunnel we are in leads to a bright opening.

Image Accessed at https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/743234744752850296/ on December 4, 2020