Items

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  2020-11-04

  A Puzzling Distraction

  HIST30060. Millions of people picked up hobbies during their respective lockdowns, mine happened to be puzzles. A few in this photo I had before lockdown, but most was bought in the lead up to, as well as during. I bought my first colour puzzle about a month before lockdown started, when I first discovered the board games store Mind Games in Melbourne's CBD, though I did not touch it until study at home began. These puzzles gave me something I could be good at, with only one still incomplete months after I first got it (in my defence, it changes colour). They allowed me to multitask, I would watch movies for university while I had a puzzle in front of me, I discovered so much music through my Spotify recommended playlists that have become solid favourites, I've caught up on podcasts that were usually relegated to my daily commute to university. They gave me something I could control, in a time of change and confusion, a welcome distraction from everything happening outside of my house.
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  2020-11-04

  Cover Up

  HIST30060. When masks became mandatory, my family, like many others I assumed, scrambled to get some in time. Our first lot was made from fabric scraps by a clothing brand my mum liked, our second batch was made by a family friend before it was mandatory, and then from that point they came from all different places. I got some from my partner who had bought a few, my brother got one from school with "Class of 2020" when he finished his year 12 classes, my mum got some from work which are surprisingly soft. Masks seem to be a touchy subject among people and though I am not a very confrontative person, I will glare and stare at anyone not wearing a mask or wearing one incorrectly. They can be a bit constraining yes and if one has to wear it all day it would most likely be tiring and probably sweaty. I'm somewhat thankful that we had our lockdown largely during winter, when people weren't as itching to get outside as they are now that it's becoming warmer. If COVID-19 was at it's height during summer, I imagine a lot more people would have suffered, cause who would want to wear a stifling mask on 40 degree day. I don't know if masks will become a staple of winter times in Australia as they are in countries like Japan whenever cold season begins again, but I'm curious to see if all these masks were just for a pandemic people will only care about the next time a similar one occurs.
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  2020-11-04

  A Rainbow

  HIST30060. The only time I would frequently leave my house during lockdown was to go and see my partner. I saw him for absolutely none of the first lockdown in Melbourne but would often see him during the second lockdown. He was only a quick train and a short walk away, so I consider myself lucky that I was able to see him at all. I pass this house every time I walk to his and it encourages children and adults alike to count all the rainbows. It became a part of my routine, each time I would go to his I would pass this house and would feel my day get just a little bit brighter. It was only recently that he told me there are other houses around his suburb like this, aiming to give children a little distraction if they happen to pass by. The lockdown was long but necessary, so it shows me that there's hope that there's still some good in this world, with strangers hoping to give one another a distraction and a smile with a rainbow.
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  2020-10-28

  First Day Free

  HIST30060. The first day out of the second lockdown in Melbourne, Australia, I got invited to a picnic with friends from high school. We went to a park that was local to everyone and no one at the same time, having been going there for parties and gatherings for the past six years. This photo is of a café local to Yarraville in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Alfa Bakehouse backs right out onto the train station where I get off and the only reason I went passed it was to check if a froyo place I loved had yet reopened with other retail and hospitality businesses. To see this many people together was both exhilarating and uncomfortable at the same time. Knowing that freedom was finally in our grasp but the overlying fear that we could easily return to lockdown if we are not careful. I made my way to my friends shortly after this picture was taken and talked and ate for hours, even getting a sun burn, and it reminded me how all that time in lockdown was worth it if people can see one another again and enjoy their time together.
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  2020-10-31

  Eagerness to Celebrate

  HIST30060. My first journey to the city after months of staying within 5km of my own home, you begin to take for granted the daily trips to university, the train and tram rides, and being around other people. I got to go to shops I haven't been to before and have discovered during lockdown as well as food that I have missed dearly and was a welcome change after so much monotony and repetition. These places were bouncing back after months of hardship and everyone seemed so keen to participate in society again. It's a first step towards normality, and I believe nothing speaks to that greater than seeing Christmas decorations on Halloween. It was October, and there was a giant Christmas tree in QV. Not many superficial things cause me to seethe, but it was over 50 days until Christmas. However, it's an annoying but nice way to demonstrate that there's a level of hope among everyone with the December holidays being a point in the future that everyone in Victoria holds dear. We hope that we will be able to travel interstate to visit friends and family for Christmas, that we can have gatherings at home around a BBQ celebrating Christmas and the holidays, but also the love we share for one another and the joy at being able to be together again. I believe this year will be the only one where I will not mind as much to see these decorations so early, as they demonstrate hope and a return to everything we know and love.