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2020-04-30
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Hugo Ling
“It’s strange having all this time to myself at home. I'm not necessarily someone who spends a lot of time at home alone doing my own thing in normal circumstances. The first few weeks were very funny to sit back and think ‘What are my interests? What am I into?’ I’ve been trying to do things that keep my brain active, like Boggle, practising my French, and learning some Spanish. Coming back a few months ago from exchange in France has given me some perspective on COVID19. I’ve got a few friends over there who are completely locked in their apartment. Here, we’re lucky to still have the freedom to walk and bike ride at our leisure. I’ve been doing both of them a lot. Earlier in the pandemic, everyone was talking about ‘social distancing’. My mum pointed out that the better term is ‘physical distancing’. You don't want to be socially distant, you want to be socially connected, with a distance - something that me and my friends have maintained. I’ve been feeding off the creativity of some of my friends: weekly Zoom live music; a home-made magazine; a friend is making Vino Quarantino. So there are a few things that have been happening amongst my close circle that keep us all talking, interested and connected. We’ll definitely carry the habit of diligent handwashing into the future, and a greater consideration for general hygiene. The pandemic has definitely sparked that in my house. I get bouts of cabin fever from time to time, but am trying to keep busy and active.” Instagram post on Hugo Ling, student, and his experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-19
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Meg
“In some ways, my day-to-day life hasn’t really changed too much. I drive to work, 45 minutes each day, and go about my role in the distillery. The cellar door where I work has shut completely. A large stream of our revenue usually comes from hospitality venues and duty free, but obviously that can no longer happen, so now all revenue must come from retail. People really are drinking a lot of alcohol at this time - It's insane!. Our sales have gone from $2000-$3000 a day, to sometimes $30,000 a day - just from online. It’s worrying because I don't think this is sustainable. So many industries are not surviving at the moment, so it will all come crashing down at some point, it’s just unclear when. Not being able to go out is not the end of the world. Social media is amazing in this sense. I’m managing to stay connected with my friends and family. Tuesday night is quiz night that my mum organises, then Wednesday night is family sit-down dinner. Last year I was in a car accident and it taught me that I needed to slow down and enjoy my life. And this is another reminder that I need to be grateful for everything happening around me. I have picked up hobbies that I had put aside for a while, because I didn’t have time. A lot more creativity is coming back into my life that I love and had really missed. People are being a lot more compassionate and supportive of each other. It has restored a little bit of my faith in humanity.” Instagram post on Meg, distiller & cellar hand, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives. -
2020-04-16
Humans of Covid-19 AU: Ani Jordens
“I’ve been feeling fully immobilized by this pandemic. I’ve noticed many people jumping into new interests and hobbies, and I'm just struggling to work out: who am I outside of work? What hobbies do I have? What are my interests? I just don't know! I’ve been observing my friends and family who have lost the jobs and livelihoods that gave them a sense of purpose. An important part of self-esteem is drawing it from multiple sources. If all of your eggs are in one basket and it gets taken away, then you will have a massive drop in self-esteem. But right now, people have lost multiple sources of self-esteem, which puts intense strain on mental health. Perhaps we need new structures and more supportive systems. The working-at-home thing has revolutionized able-bodied peoples’ lives, and could be used in a really productive way post-pandemic to make careers more accessible to people with a disability. Hopefully we learn something from this.” Instagram post on Ani Jordens, a university student, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives.