Scotland, United Kingdom On this final day of 2021, I am drawn to reflect on all that has happened these past two years, both to myself and the world. I am grateful for so many things. I am grateful for all the ways I have grown and learned. I am grateful for all I haveContinue reading “Lifting the weight from the back of my neck”
Tag Archives: COVID-19
Loss
United Kingdom Please note this post contains content that may be distressing to some readers. Approximately four weeks before the UK government announced that we were to go into lockdown due to a worldwide pandemic, my husband and I found out that I was expecting our second child. Our daughter is almost four years old;Continue reading “Loss”
Hillside Refuge
Nepal Which day of the lockdown is it today? I’m not too sure, where I am, it’s easy to lose track of time. My partner and I have been staying at our house, which is located in a hilly rural area of Nepal, approximately one hour away from Kathmandu. It’s a quiet place, surrounded byContinue reading “Hillside Refuge”
Frontline to Backline
From the UK to the Persian Gulf I’ve spent 14 years working for the NHS. Spent a variety of years tasting many specialities spending days and nights walking along various hospital corridors. After this I decided to become a general practitioner and for the last nine years this is what I did until 14th FebruaryContinue reading “Frontline to Backline”
Every cloud has a silver lining
Toronto, Canada Go Train schedules, traffic jams, changing seasons, pressing deadlines, and take-out dinners. This is the day to day life in Toronto and much of the Greater Toronto Area (the suburbs outside the city). The COVID-19 pandemic caught us off guard. Usually when world-wide events happen, in this part of the world we tendContinue reading “Every cloud has a silver lining”
Lahore in Lockdown
Lahore, PakistanSpring brings out the best in Lahore, the city of gardens, of ancient architecture, of culture and heritage. In the last decade especially, the academic scene in Lahore has boomed manifold. Spring has been an usherer of all things creative and positive, like Lahore’s first biennale in 2018. Come spring and Lahore hosts itsContinue reading “Lahore in Lockdown”
Freetown
Freetown, Sierra Leone April 2020 Sierra Leone had been the only country in the West and Central Africa region without a case of COVID-19 – that’s out of 24 countries and something to be proud of. But on March 31, things rapidly changed when the President, in a nationwide broadcast, made an announcement that theContinue reading “Freetown”
Colorado to California
California, United States This ‘break’ was never expected nor called for. I was busy with my schoolwork – graduate school has been nothing but all work – when we got an email that there was a suspected case on campus and students would be taking their classes online until further notice. Until then I hadContinue reading “Colorado to California”
Dancing out of the lockdown
Islamabad, Pakistan It was March 18, 2020 when I realized I had been at home for two full days, avoiding any social interaction. My movement inside the house involved going from my bed to my sofa and then back. It took me a day to mess up my sleep cycle, and while I was workingContinue reading “Dancing out of the lockdown”
Fables
Toronto, Canada There was this village, a farming village. It was not so big, not too small. Farmers there grew all sorts of crops: rice, wheat, maize, eggplant, lentils. And there was always plenty of food to go around. One day the rains did not come. Then another day, then a week. The farmers beganContinue reading “Fables”
Self-discipline in quarantine
Pennsylvania, United States It was the first week of March when I watched a documentary about life under lockdown in the Wuhan province of China. I empathized with the people living under the constant threat of Covid-19 but not even for a second did I think of being in the same situation sometime in theContinue reading “Self-discipline in quarantine”
Shock, Humour, Acceptance
Lahore, Pakistan The shock: It started as a dreadful email, informing us about the closure of university. It came as a shock to final year students who were busy planning their last two months at university. The awaited delights like the grad-trip, photoshoots and the final goodbyes.We were too oblivious of what was happening aroundContinue reading “Shock, Humour, Acceptance”
Accidental pandemic mini-break that should have never have happened
Aberdeen, Scotland & Colombo, Sri Lanka My feelings are mixed about what is probably the last “adventure” I will have for a long time. (When I say adventure, I am not including whatever spiritual and mental journeys we are all supposed to be making during the lockdown, according to the online influencers and self-righteous lifeContinue reading “Accidental pandemic mini-break that should have never have happened”
Day 33
Washington DC, United States As I write this, it’s day 33. Day 33 of what originally started as me self-isolating out of an abundance of caution (due to potential exposure and potentially exhibiting symptoms) but has turned into a mandatory city lockdown along the way. I know it’s day 33 from the strike marks onContinue reading “Day 33”
The life of an ordinary Rwandan citizen
Kigali, Rwanda It was Friday night, 20th March. I was on my way home from a restaurant when I got a notification that the country would be starting a two-week lockdown the next day. While reading the official government notice, I never really paused to consider what it would mean for me and how IContinue reading “The life of an ordinary Rwandan citizen”
A mild case of Covid
London, England Last week, I overheard my husband telling someone on the phone that I was ill. Within a couple of hours, that person’s partner, in another continent, messaged to see how I was as they’d heard I wasn’t well. Covid has given the term viral a whole new meaning. I’ve been thinking about theContinue reading “A mild case of Covid”
Making the best out of COVID
London, England My heart goes out to all those personally and collectively affected by the COVID situation, there is a great deal of suffering out there… but right now, I feel it’s important to make the best of whatever situation we find ourselves in so here are my appreciations…. This deliberately goes back to basics…. Continue reading “Making the best out of COVID”
Global narratives springing from a pandemic
London, England A few days into social distancing, I started thinking about how to capture my experience of locking down during COVID-19. I realised that living around the world has helped to prepare me. This isn’t the first time I’ve been in lockdown; I’ve managed before with a limited range of items in the shops;Continue reading “Global narratives springing from a pandemic”
The Lockdown Lens 