I don't even know what day of quarantine it is at this point, or date even to be honest. Time seems like an irrelevant construct right now. My schedule is ever-changing, surprising even to myself, but oh well. Somehow it seems irrelevant, who cares what my schedule is, who cares about work or university or anything really. At this point, I have an unshakeable sense of impending doom - the world is coming to an end. Morbid and hopeless, but I can't help it. I never thought I'd be here, that the world would be at such a standstill. It's been over a month, and some days are bad but some are okay - maybe some moments are good too. *sigh*
I woke up today with a heavy heart. The thought of missing all of my friends was weighing heavily on my heart. I spent last night watching a movie with some of them, it was unusual but comical. However, technology can never replace the experience of meeting them. I want to hug my friends. I want to be loud and erratic and dance around while they laugh at me. I want to listen to their stories, and play games with them. I miss ordering food from 5 different places and sitting on the floor eating amidst all the banter and laughter. I cannot wait for the opportunity to meet them again. I really hope it is soon.
Today, I felt like doing nothing. I wanted to lie in bed and scroll through social media or binge watch something mindlessly on Netflix. But work waits for no-one…instead, I had to attend a conference call, be part of a meeting and make two presentations. While I was seriously annoyed about it, it wasn't so bad. At least it distracted me from my thoughts… And at the end of the day, I did, virtually, hang out with 2 of my friends for over 4 hours. It was the highlight of my entire day. I laughed so hard, I had tears in my eyes. While I miss their physical presence, I am still so glad we were able to enjoy this time.
I hope I have a good day tomorrow, but more importantly, I hope I'm able to hug all the people I love very soon.
By Amna Naved,
Karachi, Pakistan.