“If it wasn’t for COVID-19 and the lockdown, I wouldn’t be spending quality time with my family.”
For many, the pandemic was a blessing in disguise. For others, it was the opposite.
As I attend university in Japan and my family lives in Mongolia, I have been living in a dorm since the fall of 2018. During winter break, my family would usually fly down here to spend Christmas and the New Years with me, and for spring break I would go to Mongolia to spend a week with them. I’d be lying if I said we aren’t close—in fact, all my life, as we moved from country to country, my mom, dad, and sister were my constant and permanent friends.
When our reality turned upside down in the beginning of this year, we were not expecting to have our travel plans cancelled, let alone to not be able to see each other for almost a year now. It was especially tough to see my friends post about hanging out with their families and enjoying their parents’ delicious home cooked meals. Those who couldn’t quarantine with their families probably know what I mean.
It was and still is a strange time for me to not have any immediate family around. Even if my grandparents live in the neighbouring prefecture in Japan, it’s still a bit risky to go see them too.
I wondered while missing my family—what can we do to stay connected? Well, there’s actually a number of resources at hand.
Here are two of my most used apps with my family:
Of course we have the classic Facetime but we also have a much more commonly used app in Asia: LINE. At least once a week, we call each other to stay updated with our different situations and we were even able to add my grandparents to the group call on LINE! On other days we use the app just for texting back and forth.
Another good one is Netflix Party. My sister and I aren’t the type to call each other to chat. We would rather just send each other memes or funny videos through social media, but when we heard about NP, we couldn’t wait to watch movies together.
While we continue living in a pandemic and, for many, be separated from family, you’ve just got to remember that you can get creative with the ways you interact with loved ones and that things will get better soon!