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2022-07-09
A New World: How Covid-19 affected my anniversary trip.
Originally, I always had the idea of taking my wife on a Mediterranean cruise for our 10 year wedding anniversary. However, it seemed as if Covid-19 would make those plans impossible to carry out. Thankfully, vaccines became available, and the Mediterranean countries would begin to open up to tourism again with some restrictions. On July 2022, we flew out to Rome, Italy to spend a few days there before the cruise itself. Even going through the airport was an entirely different experience, since this was our first time seriously dealing with the restricted rules(we had previously isolated ourselves for over a year and did everything online). We had to wear masks everywhere in the airport, our tram was partitioned into sections by barriers, and airplane boarding took longer since the boarding groups were made significantly smaller. When we arrived in Rome, we still had to wear masks inside of buildings(which was consistent with our experience all throughout Europe) and transportation(some buses enforced it, some didn't). In addition, as we visited restaurants, shops, and tourist locations, there were only a limited amount of people allowed in each location since there was a priority in having space between different groups. The restrictions continued as we embarked on our cruise a few days after. If you were vaccinated(as we were), you only had to take one antigen rapid test before you entered the ship to make sure that you did not have Covid-19. If you were not vaccinated, you had to take two tests, one a few days before you entered the ship, and one on the day of embarkation. This was unique, as a lot of other cruise brands were not letting anyone who was unvaccinated aboard their ships. When we boarded the boat, each group was given their own table and their own serving team(with masks on). This was possible because the allowed capacity that was on the boat was severely reduced. This allowed for us to have a more intimate experience with the serving staff, which was still at a relatively high capacity as compared to the population of the customers. As it comes to the picture itself, it is very important because we were only allowed to take off our masks for pictures inside of buildings. In addition, that picture was inside of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, which is a place that I have always wanted to enter due to its Christian symbolism. The walls and the statues tell the story of Christianity that has spanned over thousands of years. -
2010-08-10
The Growth of a Man
In March, Covid-19 hit the United States like nothing I have ever seen before. Initially, I was overcome with panic as I realized that many were going to die from this virus. I was overwhelmed thinking about how I would explain this to my four children, three of which are school-aged, who would have their lives changed instantly. There was no initial thought about the potential uncertainty of my employment until the schools started to shut down. Then came the restaurants and movie theaters, and being a personal trainer, I knew the gyms were next. I went home on March 17th and never returned to my position at the gym. After the initial sensation of it all started to wear off, my kids were getting antsy in the house, my wife was irritable with all of us at home, and I was uncomfortable with not knowing what the future would bring. Things were rough for a while until I had an epiphany of sorts. I could look at this situation with horror and treat it will disdain, or I could make this a life-changing moment for me and my family. I realized that I was given the most amazing opportunity to be with my family and grow as a husband and father. I took the time to teach my kids new things and to help my wife around the house. These items always seemed daunting after a long day out at work but in these moments, they were blessings. I worked on being more patient with my children which was always hard for me. I also realized that me being home was meaningful to them as well because I work so much, they rarely get quality time with their dad. Once my attitude and outlook changed, my world felt better, and my situation started to get better as well. I grew my at-home fitness business and it is thriving and I was able to get my resume out to many different agencies. I never had time for those types of things before but with the gift of time that the pandemic gave me, I was offered a dream job. As I write this, I am now back at work and I feel lighter. The pandemic is still here, but my vision is clearer than ever. Without this time to reflect and grow, I am not sure when I would have had an opportunity to see the areas in which I needed change. This story may not be like the rest where there is a specific event that has occurred during the pandemic but, for me, it is the most important story because it gave me the gift of growth.