Sleeping on the couch, having almost no clothes with me, worrying about travel restrictions, stressing out about online classes, and keeping an eye on my little brothers at all times … Welcome to my life in social isolation as an international student pretty much locked out of the country and back home. It’s a great time.
We have had a strict shelter-in-place to abide by since March 17, and it’s honestly starting to take a toll on everyone’s mental health. I’ve been trying to find little things to be grateful for in the midst of this global catastrophe to help me cope. Obviously, no one’s pretending that they are enjoying themselves and being incredibly productive, but it does make a difference to focus on the few things that are going well. I have a tendency to complain (comes with my nationality, tbh), and practicing gratitude is really important for me.
The lockdown has given me time away from the constant bustle of college life to sit down with my thoughts. Here are three things I’ve grown to appreciate during the lockdown.
- I’m re-building my relationship with my dad
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My dad and I had our fair share of issues when I was growing up. But my dad worked on himself and learned how to appreciate who I was as a person. He made efforts to take me to museums and to coffee shops to have open conversations about everything. He supported me when I decided to leave for college, even as he didn’t understand anything about my studies abroad, and he accepted when I came out. All of this happened during my senior of high school, and as I was busy enjoying my last moments in Paris, saying goodbye to my friends, and moving out, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to appreciate these changes. In my past two years in college, my dad checked in on me when I got sick (thanks, Boston winters … and falls… and springs …), when I was overwhelmed with homework, or when I needed friendship advice. I wondered if things would be the same, should I move back home at his place. Now, I know that they are. I can truly count on my dad to lift my spirits every day of this freaking lockdown. He makes the most hilarious jokes, throws on dance parties before my tests, and cooks the best French food. Without him, I would be a lot more stressed by online classes and just … this entire sh*tshow that the world is right now.
- I’m discovering my beautiful Parisian neighborhood
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In France, we’re allowed to take daily one-hour walks within one kilometer of our apartment. I try to stay in as much as possible, but I do love to get some fresh air at least every other day to manage my anxiety. Even though after a month of this, I really feel like a sheep going around in circles in my neighborhood, I’ve grown to realize just how lucky I am to live here.
When I was in Boston, I started having more appreciation for where I came from and not taking it all for granted. Now that I’m effectively stuck in this small part of Paris, I try to pay attention to details—little drawings and poems on the walls, flowers sprouting from the ground, the smell of bakeries in the morning, the bits of conversation in French that I overhear, the beautiful architecture of buildings.
I’m also so entertained by checking out everyone’s fabulous outfits. In case you didn’t know, you can’t wear sweatpants in Paris. It’s one of those secret things in the French code that you just figure out when you make the mistake of getting out of your apartment in loungewear and getting the dirtiest, judgiest looks from people around you. That means that no matter the lockdown, you can still admire some really cool outfits all around.
- I’m *finally* doing my readings … and enjoying it!
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Back in Boston, I was always interested in doing something else than my readings. I mean, who would rather spend their Saturday in Mugar than getting brunch at Tatte in Brookline or exploring Seaport? Because of this, I actually found it really hard to keep up with my political science classes that actually required some level of preparation. I ended up feeling so incompetent that I debated giving up on this dual degree thing—I also study Journalism. When I came home, there were obviously a lot less distractions. The WiFi also s u c k s (the entire country is working from home, so it was bound to create issues), which means I literally can’t load Netflix. This leaves me with few other options than reading and writing papers. Surprisingly enough though, I’ve grown to love doing readings. First off, because it gives me something else to focus on than NYT live updates. Diving into a completely different topic than coronavirus and educating myself on things I actually care about feels like a breath of fresh air. I’m taking two classes that I absolutely love, Media & Politics and The Rise of Extremism, and I really enjoy broadening my perspective on the media’s influence on public opinion and the different aspects of social movements and extremist parties. The world around me has fallen silent, but in a way, it helps me make progress on a discipline I almost gave up on too soon.
These three things may seem small, but to me, they’ve made all the difference during this lockdown. I’ve grown to appreciate every small bit of happiness more and I can’t wait to bring this new perspective with me once we finally break free, even though things won’t be fully normal for a while. I encourage you to try and look for that one activity or person that brightens up your day in these difficult moments.
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