Diary Entries

The first news we got of Covid-19 we didn’t really think about much. It was a whole world away. That feels like years ago now. People keep saying we’re living through history, and I believe them, it just doesn’t feel quite like history now, but then again, we’re not all the way out of the woods yet. In the past few months I’ve seen acts of great kindness among humanity, but not-so-good acts too. The question lingers on everyone’s mind; how long will this last? School is starting to go back to normal now. Only a few people were there at first, but more and more come everyday. When I’m at school, amongst friends and in an environment which I’ve grown to become familiar with, it’s easy to forget what’s happening in the outside world, easier not to get lost in the persistence of the media. By definition, we are living in a dystopia, but that can’t be real, right? The world I’ve grown up in can’t possibly have become a world not-so-different from the ones I read about in books? On the plus side, people are becoming more and more like a proper community where I live. I think people really do want to make a positive difference. I do too. I was never scared for myself about coronvirus, more for the people I love, although the thought about what my future will look like after this does cross my mind. At first, this was hardly real to me, now it’s a reality you can’t deny.

Nobody was really expecting COVID-19. Everybody was still trying to keep up with new trends, coming up with new dance moves and most importantly missing what's most important... human connection. I think that the virus was completely unexpected and we were extremely unprepared, but maybe it had to happen. of course, all the deaths and sicknesses are terrible but if you look on social media and even sites like youtube you see less gaming and pranking, but more of people coming together without touching. for example, just the other day I saw a beautiful online choir of different, unique people coming together to give people hope with there joined voices. Before the virus nobody was talking to each other, everyone was always on their phones ignoring everyone, but now people are smiling and talking more in an hour than they have in months and it's amazing. I believe that we only realise how much we need something when it's taken away from us. although I know it will take more than the span of a Disney movie for everyone to truly connect and laugh with each other again, I think we're off to a great start.

It's 2020. A futuristic year. But to many, it feels we are stuck in the time of the Spanish Flu. I am 12 years old, living in Sydney, Australia, during the Covid-19 pandemic. I was doing online learning up until a few days ago when my best friend came to school, and so I came to join her along with my younger twin sisters. It is very empty at school, with only one grade coming in at a time, but the three of us come most days to get out of the house. I came alone the first day, and when I got home, I shared about what had changed on the familiar route to school that we take by train and then foot. It was strange, walking through Strathfield, seeing the same signs, shops, smelling the same slightly nauseating smells again, after we spent so long, about 3 months, away from a place that we usually go every day of the week. Covid-19 has changed a lot, including my family's plans to see our family in the UK, where we lived for a few years. I feel very sad for my granny, locked up, all alone in England, but I write to her lots. But Sydney has had it easy, compared to the US, for example. Trump didn't handle it very well! But I don't want to get into politics. I've been able to hang out with my best friend most weeks and I have enough food and water and a way to communicate with my loved ones across the world. It's been quite an adventure, and I hope it will be over soon. Anyway, this is Annie F, signing off. See you on the flip side. (yikes that was cringy :) )

We’re back in the old house, with its dirty walls and childlike charm. I’m sitting on the carpeted floor of my bedroom, holding a stuffed animal, and playing my dad. I don’t remember much of what we were doing, other than tiny bits and pieces of conversation, and giggling at his jokes. I see pictures in my head of my old room, with its pretty pink walls painted to look just like a princess's room, my old art put up on the wall, and a window looking out to the driveway and the rest of the neighbourhood. We’d play with stuffed animals, mimicking how they’d walk by bouncing them up and down, and I would be able to point to each one and give its name without a second of hesitation. It was before I knew how dangerous the world could be, and how sad it was. Before we had to move, and before I really had a grasp on much of anything. I was blissfully oblivious to everything, perfectly so.

Corona virus has made a big impact on our lives. It had caused my usual activities to no longer continue and had caused students like me to go through online learning. Transitioning to online leaning was a difficult process for me and it is completely different from face to face learning. Isolation in general was a pretty difficult task I barely left the house and couldn't see my friends and family. After the first few weeks of high school we were no longer able to attend school and had to go through online learning. The corona virus was very unexpected and I had never thought 2020 was going to end up like this. Even though isolation is hard I always have the company of my older sister and pet dog they always seem to keep me entertained. Covid 19 is a difficult time for everyone across the world but we need to play our part by social distancing in order to reduce the spread.

It's been harder these days to find something entertaining that isn't on our devices. It's harder to see a person go out and just enjoying nature. It's harder to see someone socialising face to face rather than through the screen. It's harder to find someone going out without a device. These days, it seems like technology is everything. You can pay for your expenses through your device. You can communicate with long lost friends through your device. You can go out shopping without your wallet, but you just cannot go out without your device. Many think that children around my age would think that their phone is their bestfriend. I really don't think so. Every morning I get up at 5:30 and ride my bike around the neighborhood before I get ready. Every morning I feel the breeze on my skin and it just makes me so happy and focused. The strong breeze on my skin is something that not most people appreciate. It gives me a sense of belonging. It makes me believe that I'm not dreaming. Life is real, and I should love each and everyday of it, because that day is never going to repeat itself. The fact that one simple little thing could get me so worked up, that makes me believe that life is just an huge adventure that's filled with many other smaller adventures. That huge adventure is one you'll never forget. Life.

I find it very boring because I have to stay home, I really miss hanging out with my friend and I wish that corona virus will end soon so I can finally hang out with my friends again like we used to do.

My name is William and I go to school at St Monica's in Richmond. The Coronavirus is really bad because we can't go to our friend's houses. If we did go we might get sick. I miss school because it easier for me to do my work and I miss seeing my friends and teachers. I have liked talking to my friends on the computer and phones and iPads.

My lifestyle hasn't been normal, and it's all because of COVID-19. Yes, school has it's alternate strategy, I have my friend's contacts, but it's just not the same. During my morning runs the route I go to always have a couple people here and there, but now? It has become an isolated pathway. Everyone is staying at home. That isn't bad, it just doesn't feel the same anymore. Every time I go out I have a mask on, I sanitize my hands every hour. It's the right thing to do, it just doesn't feel like the life I used to live. I keep getting reassured that all will go back to normal. Yes, I know it will. The real question is when will it go back to normal? For all we know, it might be 2 years from now. There are so many people risking their lives just to cure this pandemic. They don't have to, but they do. I not only want my life to go back the way it was, but I want our front line fighter's lives to be normal too. I know the human race has gone through much worse, but the rising numbers of people who have COVID-19 on Earth is overwhelming. So I ask you, yes, you. To stop for a second, and pray for our front line fighters, for the patients who have been tested positive for COVID-19 and for those who lost their loves ones from this pandemic. I want you to think how those front line fighters are going through this horrendous time, separated from their loved ones. I want you to think, and thank them for sacrificing their time and effort for us.

Hi! My name is Parisa Azad and I’m 12 years old. My life was pretty much as normal as it could be until the first case of COVID 19 came to Australia. Actually, maybe not. When the first case did come to Australia I didn’t think of it too much. It was the day I stopped going to my school (at St George Girls High) I began to worry. The day after that, people stopped going to work, school, restaurants, shops and only did essential travel. This rule applied for my family too. We were stuck at home for two months. I’m back at school now, but only for a day a week. I can’t say it’s all been too bad. Online Schooling was very relieving because I could take breaks whenever I wanted to. Pollution is slowly decreasing due to less people travelling which is what the world has been waiting for for a long time. And people around the world have shown their best side in this crisis which really makes you feel a lot better. Plus, we had a lot of leisure time in our hands. We’ve all worked too hard in our lives and the world has finally given us a break! I’ve also found a new hobby. Knitting! I will probably get bored of it after a while but for now, it’s the only thing I do in leisure. This pandemic has taught us many life-long lessons but I do hope that one day this crisis will end. I can’t wait till it does.