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Life Changes with the Covid-19 Outbreak

Name of Student

Name of the Department, University

Name of course

Name of Instructor

Due Date
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Life Changes with the Covid-19 Outbreak

Introduction

     The COVID-19 disease that is caused by the novel coronavirus has changed life as we know

it (Conely, 2020). One of the catchiest ways to express the nature of human experiences in the

present is like CNN, and many media outlets put it, the new normal. Following the global

pandemic, principles that were esteemed, such as hand-washing, are emphasized beyond what

we thought was possible. A cute haircut could be easy to show off, but beautiful make-up is

hidden behind masks that are used to prevent the air and fluid transmissions. With hundreds of

thousands dying from China to Italy, and the effects in the USA being precisely the opposite of

what President Donald Trump prophesied from late 2019 to February 2020. He predicted that the

warm weather would lead to the disappearance of the virus, and it will become as common as the

flu. Instead, social distance is emphasized, and people are no longer able to hug when they meet.

It is ill-advised and even lawless to gather, and traveling across the county, state, and national

borders is a highly risky and heavily monitored affair. Herein are five clear ways in which my

life has been turned upside down by an unseen enemy in the form of COVID-19. 

Inability to study on campus

     Although online learning was an option in my college just a few months ago, it is now the

only alternative. Soon after the pandemic became severe in the USA, I switched from going to

class to using my laptop to access my classmates and teachers. Thereby, my whole learning

routine has changed, and maybe not for the better. Unlike when I go to school and have

structures timetables, I now find myself operating in uncharacteristically, with strange patterns,

and comparing life to what it was before COVID-19. Because I have the option of logging into

class at the time that I please, I have become a serious procrastinator. I wake up and play video
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games for hours before I gather the energy and motivation to start my first class. Eventually, I

start attending to classwork, but it sometimes commences as late as the afternoon. I enjoy this

routine thoroughly, but sometimes I reflect and wonder if I am developing a healthy habit. 

     I now only speak to my classmates through online platforms such as Whatsapp and Skype. I

no longer visit the places that I used to go to after school. One of the most critical areas which I

used to visit but barely do so now is my workplace, where I offer graphic design services.

I now work online

     Usually, in the afternoon, I used to leave the college campus and go to my workplace, where I

am an interning graphic designer. There I get mentorship from the lead designer and offer my

services, which are self-taught and grounded on artistic talent. I produce posters for events,

which my supervisor has to approve or ask me to make changes. Usually, he walks over to my

desk and looks at the progress on one of the screens I work on. This has changed entirely. Just

like I study online, I now have to work from home. Unlike the past, when I used to walk into the

office and work under supervision, I currently function as I please, as long as I deliver the

required designs on time. I enjoy working from home and eating delivery food while watching

the latest Netflix, and I think freedom increases my productivity. Unfortunately, everyone in the

company is taking a pay-cut, and I cannot afford some of the things that I am used to and have to

economize on the ones that I have. This is triggered even further by repetitive news files of how

the economy will crash, and jobs will be lost (Hansen, 2020). Therefore, my savings are now

lower and my expenditure is higher because even as I work from the comfort of my premises, I

have to pay for the delivery of goods and services, many of which are slightly pricier than they

were six months ago when things were normal. One of the lessons that I have learned from
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working from home situation is that with freedom comes responsibility. However, my position is

slightly better than my brothers’ in terms of vocational changes. 

My siblings lost their primary sources of income.

     My retired parents feel little change in the new lifestyle since they used to stay all day indoors

anyway. However, my siblings are part of the statistics of people who have lost their jobs

because of the changes in social conduct in this COVID-19 era. Firstly, my sister is a fashion and

travel video blogger. She generates her income from endorsements and other contracts in

exchange for marketing products in her social media and YouTube. Many of her followers

engage her channel through subscriptions, likes, and comments because of the destinations that

she visits. Being the best-traveled person I know, the internet is full of videos of my sister

enjoying Africa in one month and Europe in another. She has been part of the culture in South

America, where she visited Brazil and witnessed the lifestyles in isolated and others that are well

known. Her fans love it. However, traveling internationally has been banned in many places

across the world, including the USA (Heater, 2020). With the global travel bans, she is always

indoors in New York, where she is trying to start a home-based podcast, but the adjustment is

taking a toll on her healthy life, psychological normalcy, and financial incomes.

     As for my brother, he is an Uber driver. Because of reduced movements, he stated that

working costs him more than staying at home. Thus, he moved out of his apartment into mine

and now spends most of his time playing videogames. He seems okay since he has quite some

savings from his days as a club deejay, but he misses being immersed in the nightlife on

weekends and the highways on weekdays. Unlike most of my friends, he does not overthink the

situation. His only opinion is that if this is the end of the world, at least it will find him laboring

for nothing, but enjoying video games. Funnily, many of the people he plays videogames within
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Germany, Haiti, India, and even South Africa are dealing with the ‘stay-home’ directive in the

same way.

We have to change and clean-up before we interact

     Unlike the past, when I would walk in and embrace my dog and probably hug my girlfriend

when I get home, I now have to urge Lilly to sit and stay, and the only wave at my love when I

get back. Moreover, I cannot playfully hit my brother as soon as I sneak onto the house. The

nature of human contact seems to have changed thoroughly. Instead, I must take a bath and

change my clothes before I can embrace my girl, wrestle my brother, and pet my dog. 

My parents cannot host parties

     Moreover, my parents like hosting parties for their old friends from within and outside the

state. This is no longer possible, given the social distancing rules. Nowadays, they spend their

time alone at home, with more wine than they will ever be able to drink. However, they spend

time planning elegant parties that they hope to host as soon as social contact and gathering are

regular events like they used to be. 

Conclusion

     In summary, life is not the same for my family and me after COVID-19. Personally, I do not

go through the day under the supervision and making human contacts like I used to. Instead, I

study and work from home. On the one hand, my sister has lost her primary source of money

because she cannot fly all over the world and show fashionable items and places for a profit. On

the other hand, my brother is happy staying at home and not being an Uber driver. My parents

who socialize using house parties seem lonely, but they are hopeful with grand plans for future

get-togethers. As life changes, we have no option but to adjust and to do our best to maintain our

sanity, even as we deeply miss being around the people we loved. 

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References

Conely, C. (2020, April 15). COVID-19: A Time to Make Substantive Life Changes. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2020/04/05/covid-19-a-time-to-make-

substantive-life-changes/#94b3b5b325b6

Hansen, S. (2020, April 10). Three Numbers That Show Just How Hard Coronavirus Job Losses

Are Hitting U.S. Workers. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/04/10/three-numbers-that-show-just-

how-hard-coronavirus-job-losses-are-hitting-us-workers/#7e1897f526c7

Heater, B. (2020, March 14). UK and Ireland added to US travel ban amid COVID-19 concerns.

Tech Crunch. https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/14/uk-and-ireland-added-to-us-travel-ban-

amid-covid-19-concerns/