My Challenges during the Pandemic

The first day, we had encountered this pandemic, everything becomes more difficult and in one
snap everything changed. The pandemic took the world by surprise. Globally, everything has stopped.
Projects have been delayed, workplaces, malls closed and schools shut down. The world seems to have
ground to a halt because of the pandemic. The life we used to live before becomes very different from
the life we have experienced now.

As a student during this pandemic, what has been most challenging for me was education
through online learning. A lot of adjustment was done but for almost two years being in online learning,
I admit that this setup is frustrating and draining. The synchronous classes in Google Meet where
internet connections don’t cooperate make it more difficult for me to participate in class. There are lots
of requirements that need to be submitted in a short time, and since I lack the devices and internet
access my submission will be considered late. There is no single day I did not have and comply with
requirements, including weekends. One thing that is very challenging in this setup during the pandemic,
there is a professor who is not online or cannot be reached during their given consultation time and
contacts. We ended up passing uncertain outputs since it’s already the due date. Some professors would
just give quizzes and requirements, would ask to write a thousand words in one sitting as if there is only
one subject students are taking up, and would include due dates on weekends even at midnight. Even
the Saturdays and Sundays that were supposed to be rest days for students like me it is still full of
workload.

This situation is very tricky as it can be hard to concentrate and stay engaged for a long time
over a video call. Literally, this online learning is not helping anyone of us even teachers. The feeling of
uncertainty of the future is always there since students of online learning are not that competent in
terms of seeking jobs to face real life. Education during this pandemic is draining, not learning