Dear Yuri,
As I stand by the window in my dark room, the dim glow of the silver full moon penetrates the glass. Born in a typical Chinese family, we believe that the full moon depicts unity as every piece of it merges together to form a perfect circle. By watching the full moon, we believe that we are able to unite with our family and friends one day.
As the lockdown is established, education is shifted from public places to a personal comfort spot. Every day, I sit in front of the computer waiting for the virtual class to start. It is a fresh method of receiving education – teachers and tutors conduct their lessons through virtual interactions, interactive slides and videos. I adore the transformation in which educators utilise their creativity to the peak to deliver their lessons and I really enjoy it.
Yet, I pine for the physical interactions which I used to have with my friends. We can play basketball in the same court, have our meals together in the canteen, and carry out experiments in the school labs. With the outbreak of pandemic disease, we are forced to isolate ourselves from each other. Wearing masks to cover the body entrances, always carrying a bottle of hand sanitiser, social distancing are the new normal that we have to practise. We are forced to abandon our facial expression, our warm welcome greetings, and our enthusiasm to the outside world.
My friends, for your safety and everyone’s health concern, we have to be patient with the new normal. We do not offer a warm handshake to each other anymore at the moment, but after the nightmare is over, we can still unite with each other like the full moon in the sky.