Diary Entries

Dear Diary, I’m a student at Emanuel School. I am extremely lucky to be able to do online work, because some people don’t have the privilege to work this way because their school doesn’t provide smart technology. It is worse than you think, because when you're online your poor eyes start to hurt, you can’t see your amazing friends and you can’t have celebrations with over 10 people. Looking on the bright side, there’s more special time to bake and be with your family. I’m excited and looking forward to driving to school once again because I’ve been at home for about 2 months. It’s really weird that I feel the same emotions as when it was my first day working from home. It feels like when I’m at school for one day I’m more social than a whole week at home. A thing you wouldn’t think about if I said that I’m working at home is the word “carnivals”. The school has postponed the Cross Country Carnival and the ASSISA Swimming Carnival. I feel relieved and annoyed at the same time, because I’ve been training for them and then suddenly we go home and I stop. As you probably already know, in this crazy time, the world has said that old people are more exposed to Covid-19. The result of this is that most people can’t see the old people in their family. Luckily in our family we have made strict rules about seeing people so we can be with our grandmother.

I love being back at work and feeling productive I'm proud of all of us for doing the right thing I don't care about the money, only the people.

Is Quarantine good? yes, it is. It would help to slow down Covid-19. Which has already slowed down now. Quarantine for me is sarcasm of an amazing time. I don't like it, not being able to see friends and all that online work. Well, It all ends now. The Covid-19 cases in Australia are slowing down. Every things are back to normal here. School opened full time now. I get to see Friends and teachers. Back to one of my fav classes. Hogwarts ( Foundations of English). There a bit crazy about Harry Potter. Everything back to normal now. Well, It doesn't mean Corona still isn't out there.

One Covid Day Coarse cut grass. A steep incline ahead The Pin Oaks are on the turn. On manicured mounds-tiny flags are aflutter Nobody's there. The brown lake ripples, the reedy grasses sway. Hedged roses bloom again. Bramble bushes block our way. It's a shining day. A bench secreted in the sun. We repeat ourselves. Until first light tomorrow. Home again. Thumbs rub across fingertips; the crumble forms. Daytime drops away. Chainsaws, mowers that you ride on, leaf blowers; shudder into silence. I turn the page.

While NSW slowly eases into a more normal life with the opening of schools and expanded operations of leisure-type businesses and facilities, I am exhausted. I work for a niche publishing house in Chatswood that prints and provides TAFE and training organisation students with course books and demand peaked at the same time everyone was told to stay home, work from home and/or home school. Because of the strict social distancing and 4 square metres per person regulations, we couldn't employ extra staff to cope with the demand and thereby provide some income for a small number of people who were left jobless with the closure of the hospitality industry. The closure of theraputic services, such as massage has also meant I haven't been able to get any relief from lifting 20kg boxes of paper all day. While most couples were seeing too much of each other, my partner was put on afternoon shift to allow for safe social distancing in his workplace. We were like passing ships - I'd be asleep when he got home and he was asleep when I had to go to work. We only spent time together or had real conversations on weekends. The limits and empty shelves in supermarkets made it impossible to buy supplies for home and work so I had to go shopping more frequently thereby increasing my risk of contracting Covid-19 in one of the earliest, largest Sydney hotspots. Driving to work from the Central Coast has been a dream, saving one hour on the road each day. I am grateful that I have a job, but am jealous that I couldn't stay home to catch up on house jobs, read a good book that's been getting mouldy waiting for me to pick it up and spend more time with my pets.

My experience since the pandemic is generally negative. If things had gone as planned, I would be now living in my home unit in Cremorne. Due to the lockdown, I am here at Montefiore. My positive experiences have been with the nursing staff, waiters, waitresses and leisure and lifestyle staff. Having had regular concerts and discussion groups led by staff and volunteers, these things are no longer available to residents leading to boredom. The recent bout of bad weather and strong winds have prevented outdoor walking. The thing I miss most is the Friday morning singing group.

'Teaching After Lockdown' (continued) Astonishingly, there are those (inside and outside the school context) who have resisted the spreading fear and dismay. Whether due to an eternally sunny disposition or grotesque ignorance, it remains unclear. The obvious ones fitting the latter description are the conspiracy theorists. They are LOVING the government’s control of our physical whereabouts and the intrusion of our privacy through surveillance, because it confirms what they feared all along and fuels them with juicy debate topics. (Oh yes, they are feeling so self-righteous and affirmed at the moment. Doesn’t it feel glorious?!) They are the worst for breaking all the new rules and regulations designed to protect us. They will be downfall of us all.

The time in quarantine was pain but it was kind of fun like I walked my dog a few times. I got to hang out with one of my friends her name is Parmis I saw her about 5 times during quarantine and we walked our dogs. The one thing I didn’t like about quarantine was home schooling because I had to then come back to school and catch up on all the work I missed out on. I’m happy I could have seen one friend, but I wish I saw more but it was fun with Parmis we walked our dogs we got to spend time that we miss spending. Parmis sadly goes to a different school now because we met in year 6 and we made a grate friendship and it seems like we have been friends ever since year 1, I miss her so much I hope that I can see her again.

Quarantine was fun, but if you are back at school it's more fun than sitting at home doing school work!!. I loved to be back at school, In quarantine we had to do school work and not meeting our friends, and no going outside for playing sport.. I hated it!!. It's for fun coming out in the school and meeting friends and teachers. Me and my friend were planning to do a video call over the lock down, but the connect at our home was out. I know so sad!. It was great meeting friends and teachers in the school. It was my dad's birthday on 12th may, It was great but we didn't even do anything. we usually go outside to celebrate but that day, we didn't go!!.

Dear diary, today I made chocolate covered strawberries which people usually make during valentines but the virus has caused all occasions to amalgamate. I tried stargazing yesterday night because I was so bored. Honestly, all the stars look the same to me so it obviously wasn’t too fun. We started going to school yesterday, making today our second day of face-to-face lessons. We now have to go 5 days a week instead of 1 day. There’s always news of relatives in other countries suffering because of coronavirus but I honestly haven’t felt any change besides not being able to go out as often although we now are able to have up to 5 visitors over at any 1 time. We’re already half way through term 2 yet it feels like the first day of the year. Australia’s situation with the corona virus seems to be getting better as there’s not much news on it anymore but maybe that’s just because it has been accepted as a part of everyday life now. I sure don’t want it to be everyday life. The different scents of hand sanitiser used to be appealing but they all smell the same now. Thats all I have to say for now as there’s really not much to do at home and even school seems monotonous and boring (well more than it used to be anyway).