One year...
Those two words have been running through our memory lately. Not only in the memory of one person, but also of many people around the world. Unlike birthdays in general, this one-year anniversary is not a happy celebration, is not something to be proud of.
The pandemic known as Covid-19 has been going on for one year. Last March, the first 2 cases in Indonesia were announced. Some people panicked and started preparing for a massive quarantine, some were still in disbelief, while some thought everything was going on as usual, as if there was nothing to be afraid of.
Now, every time they step outside the house, people are wearing masks, checking the temperature every time they enter a building has become a habit, public places are no longer overcrowded, everything has limits. A year has passed, this is the new normal.
The Story of Alya and Tasya as University Students
Alya and Tasya were university students when the Covid-19 pandemic began. Tasya is in her final year of college, while Alya is still in the middle of her master's degree. Both of them felt how to go-to online learning. Tasya had to experience online graduation. When Tasya registered herself for the final examination at the beginning of the pandemic, the exam was postponed with uncertainty, so that even when it was carried out, the trial was quiet from the usually crowded celebration. She was sad because she had to face such an important step in her own life in silence. However, in the midst of a pandemic, they refuse to let themselves in despair. They spend their time reading a lot, starting new things. Cooking for Tasya and playing ukulele for Alya. These things may not happen if they are not forced to stay at home. A pandemic with all its uncertainties molds them to be tougher, more creative, more innovative. They are not willing to be confined by sadness, they move on to become a better person.
The Story of Miko, an Employee
"Sweet, sour, salty, mixed!" said Miko when describing the one year of the Covid-19 pandemic that has not ended. One year of the pandemic made so many things change in his daily life. Going to the office early in the morning, spending time on the road, and getting home at night is replaced by work at home, even when he just wakes up, he immediately opens the laptop and has meetings with colleagues. Costs of transportation are cut, but his soul who usually needs to meet many people, feels lost. Losing this, makes him think of the fate of others who might have lost more because of the pandemic. How does it feel to lose a job? That feeling was not just suppressed, instead Miko joined the Blessing Friday movement which was initiated by a Food Stall named Warteg Mas Beni. Blessing Friday is a food-sharing movement every Friday, there are two packages of food: ten thousand rice packages and fifteen thousand rice packages. In the middle of his job, in the midst of feeling lost hanging out with friends, Miko still persists. More than that, he shared so that people in need do not feel alone.
The Story of Tyo, an Entrepreneur
As a businessman who owns Wayank-Apparel, Tyo feels the Covid-19 pandemic is a time of innovation. His business, which deals with soccer jerseys and in decline during the pandemic, are transferred to the business line of making masks and PPE. Of course, he had taken all of that into account when the beginning of the Covid-19 disease was detected in Wuhan. Due to its fast business adaptation and interesting innovation, its business is one of the businesses that has survived the pandemic. Not only survived, the business actually grew and he added employees and was able to hire several employees from other convection who had no jobs. A pandemic year is indeed a tough year, but with a spirit of adaptation, Tyo and his business are able to survive. Tyo believes that other businesses can do the same: survive.
The Story of Rifa, a Health Promotion Volunteer
As a volunteer for health promotion for DKI Jakarta in Koja sub-district, North Jakarta, Rifa remembers the times this year when she had to go around from one place to another using an ambulance and loudspeakers to remind residents to maintain health protocols, “Ladies and gentlemen, don't forget to use a mask, wash your hands, and maintain your distance!" her voice echoed. On another day, she spoke in front of elementary to high school students about Covid-19 and how to prevent it. She already memorized the washing hands song to make the students happy to clean their hands. She believes what she does can bring change, even with a slow pace, even though she often faces so many people who do not believe this disease exists, that this disease is just a conspiracy. Amid the bitterness of those who did not believe, she still tried to provide the best possible education.
The Story of Vivin, a Mother
Bu Vivin also felt the struggles during the pandemic, she was pregnant during this pandemic and had to take care of her other two children who had to do Distance Learning. This early March she was on the 36th week of her pregnancy, so this mid-March she expected to go into labor. Her pregnancy started in the middle of a pandemic, and now near her delivery, the pandemic is still not over. She felt a different struggle from being pregnant with her two previous children. She still remembers that in the midst of the difficulties of her pregnancy, she still had to accompany her two children for online school. One of her children is in the 3rd grade, and the other is in the 1st grade who cannot be left alone to study on their own. Monday through Friday that is the routine she has to live up to. If her husband is not in the office and working at home, she is very grateful that someone helps. A pandemic year was a huge struggle for her. Being a mother is a struggle, as well as facing this pandemic, she always teaches her children the meaning of struggle to remain patient and survives the uncertainty during a pandemic.
Keep Fighting
Various stories whispered around Indonesia during the pandemic. Of course, everyone hopes that this pandemic does not need another birthday. But, during this new normal, there are also new hopes and prayers, a hope that we can survive, a hope that we can fight hard, a hope that we are able to go through all this until the pandemic is over.
112