Starting March 2020 the whole world came to a halt after a fast-spreading virus was discovered. Some countries had stricter lockdowns than others and unfortunately, some countries even had numerous deaths. These worldwide lockdowns included extended closures of restaurants, gyms, shopping malls and much more. In addition, there was a suspension for all in-person activities and an introduction to working from home and online education classes. This blog aims to discuss what ‘back to normal life’ looks like and how Covid-19 affected me and other students.
Law school online
As an international student, I am currently on campus in Leicester and yet my lectures are all delivered online. It is a massive change for me as I am taking all classes online, with only a limited number of in-person tutorials. It is very different to say the least. Being able to plan for something in the future seems highly impossible now that restrictions continue to vary. I enjoy in-person lectures and teaching, so this pandemic has impacted my ability to learn the material and engage with professors and other students. Sharan Sidhu, a first-year law student says, “it’s hard to do a law degree online, you don’t have that one on one with a professor as you would during in-class lectures.” Instead of having the usual office hours where students can drop in, you now have to make appointments with professors to chat via Microsoft Teams. Due to no fault of the professors, going through this extra process has discouraged some students from engaging with their professors altogether. Jasmin Bisal, another law student says, “the unpredictability of how lectures will be delivered, and how well you retain the information online increases the pressure of doing well in law school.”
Working from home
Furthermore, I believe the quality of life has significantly decreased during this pandemic, with staying indoors the majority of the time, strict travel restrictions, and not being able to visit family who live in different households. Canada for example, had strict and very lengthy lockdowns, while other countries like the UK had stricter and shorter lockdowns. Even today, as some provinces in Canada are just coming out of lockdown, the UK has no restrictions at all; no masks, business operating at full capacity, and large gatherings are permitted. Working from home has become the new favourite for some employees and not so much for others. Bhaw Jagdev, a tech company employee says, “it’s fun for the first little while because you get paid while working from the comfort of your own home, but long-term it’s hard to build connections with clients, grow within the company, and connect with your colleagues and bosses in person instead of doing it over zoom.”
In conclusion, Covid-19 has impacted all of us in different ways, some more than others but one thing we all have in common is the fact that we have to continue living our lives in whatever way we think is ‘normal’ again. Next month will mark two years since the pandemic was declared and experts from all over the world have said this virus will not completely disappear anytime soon. Therefore, as time goes on and restrictions start to lift, I encourage everyone to stay safe but also try to live the life they want moving forward, and not to dwell on time that was lost.