Okay, I think we can all agree that the pandemic has changed us at some point, not to mention damaged the lives of a large number of individuals. Even I can confidently say that I’m one of those individuals. However, no matter how bad we perceive COVID to be, there’s also good in every bad situation.
It wasn’t easy at the start, trust me, it’s still far from simple to this day, but it plays as a turning point that made me think twice about life, goals, and my surroundings. The pandemic forced us to spend most of our waking hours in lockdown and it took me quite some time to realize that this wasn’t good for my mental health.
I failed in some of my classes and I was rarely able to concentrate during lectures. Nevertheless, the hardships that I’ve faced are what made me this way, and I’m grateful for them.
Also, because we were mostly conducting our activities online, school isn’t like what it was. They’re much more flexible and less time-consuming, and because of how less occupied I am with work, I kept myself busy by pondering more about my life.
One of the things that I hate about our educational system here is that schools deliberately keep the students busy with pointless homework and exams, rather than focus more on the students or things that matter in real life.
Based on personal experience as someone who constantly sought academic validation throughout high school, getting great scores wasn’t that worth it. I give up most of my teenage years, years that I was supposed to spend with abundant enjoyment and figuring myself out, to constant negative emotions like anxiety every time a grade doesn’t meet with my expectation. Therefore, if someone asks a question about how to survive high school, I can only give you one tip: have fun.
Honestly, it blew my mind that the things I did for the past 6 months are giving me much more meaning and value than spending three years working my ass off in school. A few months ago, my parents offered to go study abroad rather than continuing my college education here in Indonesia. I was heartstruck at first, but I was finally able to gather my willpower and face my dread.
The reason why I chose to attend a university in Indonesia before was that I didn’t trust myself on surviving in a foreign country all by myself. Mainly with the social aspect because I’ve struggled much in the past. Thankfully because of covid and many moments of my soul-searching, the long-awaited dream that I never knew will happen finally arrived. So I guess what I’m trying to say is focus more on yourself, know what you truly want. From there, if you want to achieve something you’re longing for, I say just fuck it and grab it.
Slice of Bread and Life 