Shella Cheung (張芳榕),19, Freshman in College,
Kaohsiung,Taiwan
With ONE word, how do you hope to come out of this quarantine?
"Go-With-the-Flow"
What was the effect of COVID-19 on your routine?
"Since Chinese New Year until now, COVID has shown that it may extend into the future. During Chinese New Year, when there was a sudden outbreak of the virus, I was in mainland China at the time. I was scared that I couldn’t go back to Hong Kong, and because I have to go back to Taiwan for school, and outbreak seemed to be getting more serious, I was afraid I couldn’t go back to Taiwan to start school in time (as well as the restrictions implemented by government). During free time, I was afraid to go anywhere for leisure because I was worry I would catch the virus."
What is one realization you’ve had about yourself or the world?
"First of all, during this time, technology is really showing its importance. Since we cannot go out, we all Had to do things online, for example online school, online shopping, and keeping connected with family online. Secondly, it appears in the most critical time, people are not interested in helping each other out. A lot of online discussion revolving around who to blame for the virus or whether we should export surgical mask. Thirdly, I found the healthcare workers are really amazing and I have a lot of respect for them. There are some selfish people, who are still disregarding social distancing or simply not adhering to the 14 days isolation after travel."
What works and doesn’t work while in quarantine? (open-ended)
"While I was doing the 14 days self isolation I had a lot of restrictions on my life but I did OK. I didn’t consider it too difficult, the only thing was that someone had to get me three meals a day and help me take out the trash–I felt like I was troubling them. Things that were originally planned had to be canceled because of the pandemic, which was really sad. During the isolation, it was just me in the room; all I could do was play on the phone or go on Internet. It got lonely."
In what ways have you shown self-improvement?
"To be a good citizen, I wear a surgical mask when I am out, wash my hands frequently and make sure I report my health status voluntarily to whom it may concern. Every day I use alcohol to disinfect my surroundings. These have already become habits. Furthermore, after the isolation, I was able to finish all my original plans."
If you had to give your “pre-quarantine” self a piece of advice, what would that be?
"Treasure everything–don’t take things for granted. For every plan there should always be a Plan B."