WQT Hall of Fame- Writing Contest- Neha Zaheer- 2nd Prize Winner- Age Group 2

Neha Zaheer

Age 15 years

Topic- How has my life changed since the pandemic began?

Upon entering my very first year of high school, I had envisioned plenty of ideas on how the school year would go. I looked forward to the thought of new friends and a new school, as well as detesting the thought of having to wake up an hour earlier than I normally do. However, a pandemic was not on my bucket list for my high school experience. Ever since schools shut down in March of 2020, my life has changed in many ways.

I remember the feeling of when schools were declared to be closed down. I excited myself over another added week to March break but quickly realized that the Earth had other plans for my life and many others. My school was later closed down for the rest of the school year which led to a drastic transition to online learning. Every single piece of work I did was solely independent- without anyone’s help or supervision. Every week, on Monday, I would get emails about what I needed to accomplish for the week- whether it be essay writing or reading through a simple slideshow.

It was quite the change but I actually enjoyed it. I strive for independence and online learning in the first quarantine helped me thrive on my own and learn how to prioritize and manage work. I did eventually miss going to school but I understood that the pandemic was running its course on the world and we all needed to take the time to understand and educate ourselves on our current situation.

Another way my life changed was the lack of social contact. At school, I always surrounded myself with my close friends. We would trade snacks, walk around the halls and chat about how much work we had ( of course, we would “accidentally” talk a little bit louder once we reached our classes ) and overall enjoyed each other’s company. When schools closed down, it was quite a big change. My trading of snacks would have to be with my eldest brother instead of my friends, which was not ideal since the “trading” would just be coincidentally meeting in the kitchen during the late hours of the night. My rambles would often be aimed towards my poor mother, who bore the brunt of “Look, I just downloaded Tik Tok!” to “When is this pandemic going to end?” and much more. I missed my friends dearly but I knew that one day, I’d be able to see them again. I knew that even though our lives will always be changed due to the Coronavirus, the quarantine lifestyle we were living was not going to always be permanent.

However, I also used my quarantine time to devote more time than ever to read The Quran. I felt that getting closer to Allah SWT would help me get through the hard times that were currently being faced. I knew that Allah SWT would ease our hardships and that He would protect us from the pandemic that was taking over the world. All thanks to Him, my family and I were safely able to celebrate Eid while being socially distant.

Even though the pandemic had disrupted my daily life, I am grateful that I was able to stay safe and have my family by my side throughout these hard times. Although it has been hard, it’s always good to look on the bright side of things. I am unsure of what the future holds but I do know that it will be alright if I continue to stay positive and if I stay by my family.