Ishana - WageIndicator Intern - India

How have you adjusted to the lock-down in Mumbai?

The first month was rather hard, especially being home again after having moved out and having lived alone at university. Adjusting to the family’s routine all over again was harder than I expected it to be. But within a month, we adapted and got settled in and made our own routines. Now I’ve almost begun enjoying it!

We have had to shift our entire life behind a screen. How has that transition been for you?

The hardest part of this has been the transition from in-person university classes to online classes. It made me feel extremely disconnected and uninvolved. It was hard to write the exams as well and really affected my grade. With my professional life, I have found it really easy to adapt to working from home. The work is very interesting and similar to the work I have done earlier in college. With my personal life, it has been a lot harder as well. I study in a residential college and am used to always being with my friends and now, I don’t get to see them at all. It has been a bit of a hassle to schedule calls and video calls, but we are making it work.

Most important lesson.

My biggest takeaway has been that people are becoming more empathetic and kinder than they have ever been. We are all so wrapped up in our own lives, normally. But now, everyone is trying to do better and be better.

Do you feel like you’ve realised some things about yourself that you wouldn't have learnt otherwise if not for the pandemic?

I have always been a very active person. I am always meeting people, going out or doing something productive. I always thought that if I were given a few weeks off to do nothing but stay home, it would drive me crazy, but I have learnt that I can enjoy it now. I would have never realised that if not for the pandemic.

What do you see happening in the world and in your life?

I think people will be more empathetic. People will take more opportunities. I also think that people have all grown so much and seen so much of the world in this period, that things will change for the better.

"We have all grown so much in this pandemic that the world will change for the better."

 

Life in Mumbai
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