Countries

When the thousand of used masks and latex gloves on the floor make you furious

Puerto Rico has been manageable because our population has always been relatively serious about keeping the pandemic at bay, but the US is a hot mess. We are festive people and it has been very hard for a lot of us not being able to celebrate certain things. When we saw people putting up a fight against wearing masks and citing their “rights” we knew we were dealing with idiots who don’t know what the real battles are. We had a lot of tourists from the states pretending they could get into supermarkets and other places without masks. Now, the thousands of used masks and latex gloves all over the floor make me furious. We might survive the pandemic, but not the pollution. Read more

Missing the work as a tour guide in Egypt

I am a tour guide, so no work at at all due to Covid till the vaccination. The lockdown was about three and a half months and I missed my work a lot. In the meantime I focused on my study and finished my PhD. Overall, I stayed at home more than 9 months. When we started back at work, we kept the social distance and were wearing masks. Read more

Wondering where the WHO money disappeared to

I study to become a pilot in Namibia. During the lockdowns I kept working at a sanctuary because animals need care every day. Namibia waited too long in lockdown and funds were used by the wrong people and the wrong ways. Too many people could not get to good hospitals because of districts being closed, too many people lost jobs and their businesses. Though, this is easier said than done, I am fully aware of that. But I am angry how all the funds that were donated kind of disappeared. Read more

Realizing that our rights can be forfeited quickly in “emergency” situations

The situation in Dominica is generally good. Tourism has opened back up, events back up, things are mostly back to normal. The crisis showed me that misinformation is rampant, while digital literacy and critical thinking are crucial. But also our rights can be forfeited quickly in “emergency” situations. We can all learn from the crisis that everything is a divisive issue these days, that things are usually more complicated than black and white and that everything can be used for political purposes. Read more

Seeing the crisis as the beginning of major challenges

Due to the crisis, I became more intentional about my relationships. Became closer to those who are unconditional and stepped away from those who weren’t for me. I became more present with the people I love and now I choose more wisely who I want to be surrounded by. The pandemic showed me how big social inequality is. How radically important it is to take a look at our priviledges and act responsibly from there. I believe this crisis is only the beginning of the fall of obsolete systems and of major challenges we will have in the future. Read more

When the crisis showed you that life is unpredictable

I realized the situation was serious when I was traveling abroad in Curacao and the day I returned home in March, lockdown began. We never had a formal lockdown, people just stayed home. I missed leaving the house and seeing other people. But it helped to hang out with my brothers. I became closer to certain friends during the crisis, and I felt it made dating more difficult. In general, the crisis showed me that life is unpredictable and things can always get worse. Read more

When the biggest challenge is getting something to eat

I spent the lockdown with family and learned to follow the news worldwide and also doing research about stuff online. The crisis taught me a new way of living online even though the internet is costly. The biggest challenge was getting something to eat during the crisis as they closed a lot of means of public transport. The government should provide relief to the people who were suffering because of the pandemic. Read more

Realizing that people are not the same anymore

We are ok. Not very well, but we are getting there. We were certainly not as affected as other families. We could still go to work or work from home. Unlike others who couldn’t. We will forever be grateful for that. We are still in lockdown. There are restrictions that have been lifted and things are getting back to ‘normal’ slowly. But things have changed. People are not the same anymore. People are a bit tense and still in fear. No-one is really comfortable anymore. Read more

When you are afraid that people don´t get vaccinated because of politics

About 3 months into the pandamic you could feel the tension rising in the US. Covid was the tip of the iceberg in the US and everything exploded. And now the country is even more divided than ever. I´m afraid that people don’t get vaccinated because of politics. The biggest challenge for me was the travel ban. Because my husband and I are expats in the US and on an L Visa, that meant for us that if we would leave the US we couldn´t come back. Which wasn’t an option at all because we both work here and have our life here. Thankfully the travel ban was lifted in November 2021 and we were able to see our families again. Read more

Supporting the waste workers during the Covid peak

In Ghana there is a group of citizens who wish to abide by the Covid-19 safety protocols, but do not have the means to. The informal waste workers are the frontline workers with less attention and more stigmatization. In view of this, Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) during the Covid peak supported them with Covid relief items such as provisions, protective gloves, nose masks, sanitizers, among other items. GAYO is concerned about informal waste workers because these people come into direct contact with waste and unfortunately do not receive any special attention with regards to the work they do and the outbreak of the pandemic. Read more