My home; My Story

I feel a bit confused and discontent; having all my normal routines and activities I usually keep myself active with excitement and happiness abruptly interrupted due to COVID-19 pandemic began to strike Australia. Since March all my part-time jobs working within the hospitality industry at venues such as Flemington, Caulfield or Marvel Stadium got cancelled due to enforced social distancing measures.

I thought I begin to struggle to make ends meet when losing these jobs, luckily thank to Australian Government, newly Coronavirus supplement – JobKeeper scheme – has introduced to keep people their jobs as soon as the pandemic has passed. Now I feel relieved because I don’t have to speed off to a local Centrelink office and join the dole queue, which is time-consuming!

Think ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ the movie I watch helps me to bend strict family rules by defying their expectations and letting go of their approval to go to America. The fact I love travel, suddenly it feels like I want to do more. Even with my Back to Back Theatre’s production of SHADOW I wish I could go for the tour across Europe and see more of the world; ever since returning from America for the tour. Unfortunately, my big dreams are all but dashed, as the touring trip and production must put on hold and I feel so uncertain when I would land on my feet once restrictions are fully lifted.

However I feel desperately lonely for not being able to see loved ones or someone special to me. I attend rehearsals with choirs every Monday, but health, safety and wellbeing are truly paramount especially those I sing with are quite elder as people are over 65. Luckily, it’s good to have Facebook, WhatsApp; even WeChat to stay connected with my friends and be sociable. I enabled to pursue my new interests like story writing or baking/cooking for my family that makes me feel like home.

Social distancing is a new norm, and despite being stuck at home, especially during the first wave led to abide under Stage 3 ‘stay at home’ orders my life cannot live without computer with camera and iPhone. Through social media like Facebook, WhatsApp, Zoom I always be surrounded with circle of friends to reduce anxiety. I can show off my living skills like cooking, singing, or dancing and post to my friends. I feel overwhelmed once when I pursue my interest in story telling/writing and, in my spare time I wish to write my autobiography which entails my life and challenges I face in my daily life.

From what I feel like it was so surreal and have an eerie sense that all AFL matches, which I normally worked at Marvel, were played outside of Victoria due to monumental increase in COVID-19 cases. I was so shocked to hear other states and territories are either closing or tightening borders, so all Victorian clubs, including Geelong Cats had to relocate to interstate hubs.

It’s all but everything has to be embraced to live a ‘new normal’, in particular, living with my parents at home; going to sleep well through the day, having Chinese dinner almost every night, watching news and my favourite TV shows and do more exercise. The fact that my life has turned upside-down; not have to say all the things I really enjoyed that brings exhilaration is far being a distant memory, but luckily I’m not alone. Everyone on the same boat and already move forward and look ahead of what the post-pandemic world is going to be. By the way, no matter how you feel or going to cope with situation in such unprecedented times: “We’ll be in this together!”.