“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to Change.” - Charles Darwin
As the saying goes, we must be receptive of the changes for us to survive. Life isn’t really normal for us lately. We all have new experiences, we all have this strange feeling, we are all afraid as we are not really seeing our enemy, we are very busy thinking and preparing for the safety of our family, we are all missing our daily routine before this pandemic crisis happened.
The government is doing their very best to help us manage the crisis. To help each and everyone of us to be safe and contain the virus. It was never been a plain sailing since the outbreak of this Covid19 crisis. Updates of what is going on, future plans, social and economic aid are what we are hearing and reading over the headlines everyday.
Well, how am I coping with this pandemic crisis?
As a wife, things are not as easy as I was thinking at the beginning. It has both a positive and negative impact for me. Positive because I have more time now to prepare food/meals for my husband, I am enjoying new hobbies such as baking and writing, I have more time to just relax at home and do the household chores in my own phase. The negative side is that, I have this odd feelings when I am going out for buying essential things. I am especially aware that I am wearing a mask and gloves, a feeling that you cannot explain, it’s a combination of fear and what ifs. I am worried about the safety of my husband as he needs to go to work even during with this crisis as he is working in the Government sector and his presence is necessary.
As a former bank employee since I ended my contract during the start of this pandemic crisis, I don’t have a chance to look for a new job as most companies are freezing hiring and facing emergency crisis protocols too. I had some interviews going on but suddenly it all stopped. I was working for almost 15 years in my home country as a manager and that is the reason I was very eager to start my career here, to look for a new opportunity and learn at the same time. I really didn’t expect that this will go far just like what we are experiencing now.
As a daughter living far from my mother and family members, as I am here in the foreign land, I have this eagerness to go home and be with them but unfortunately I cannot book a flight. All my plans to visit my home country were gone. But still, I am thankful enough that we’re already in the world of technologies by which I was able to talk to them face to face even in distance, at anytime of the day.
With all of this being said, it came to a point that perhaps I could also ask the experiences of some of my friends to share to other people and maybe this will give a lesson as we have different ways of accepting and overcoming the changes in our life.
Niamph Murphy Tritta – Irish, living in Luxembourg for 27 years, a mother of two children and a working wife:
How are you coping with this Covid19 crisis as a mother of two and as a bank employee?
Life has changed in many ways over the last few weeks but I think I am coping with the situation as well as can be expected just like everyone else all over the world. I have two teenage daughters that are very responsible and understand clearly the situation we are all facing. They are adjusting to the home schooling system which is in place and thankfully they are coping very well but of course there are some days when it all gets too much.
The sadness of the situation and the people who have died and are suffering because of this virus is never far from our thoughts and we talk about this between ourselves at home and remember their families and loved ones. The restrictions in place mean that no one can have that close contact with good friends and be with them at a time when we need this contact the most. We all miss this.
Not having the flexibility to go visit my family whenever I want is difficult and the children not being able to sit with their grandparents and chat but only see them through the window of their home is upsetting. When the school work gets too much, trying to understand the work that has been assigned by the teachers and I am not able to help my daughters can be frustrating but thankfully the teachers, where they go to school in Lycée Hubert Clement Esch are all very supportive and doing their best to make this situation as manageable as possible for students and teachers alike.
At the beginning it was strange to be all at home and in the company of each other almost all day and every day but over the weeks we have learned a lot more about each other. We are continuously trying to support each other and to continue our normal lives as best we can. We go for walks, runs or bike rides and enjoy the peace and tranquility while getting some exercise at the same time. We eat our meals together, chat and watch TV together. We keep in contact with friends and family by face time and messaging each other.
Social distancing from our friends and family, going to the supermarket for the weekly shop, having to queue for some time to get in, having to wear gloves and masks and to reduce the time we spend with the friendly staff that we generally stop and chat to has been a constant reminder of what we need to do to help prevent this virus from spreading.
As a bank employee working from home has been a huge change and a new experience for me. I always worked in the office but I am coping very well most days thanks to the support of the manager and team that I work with. The bank I work for have been very understanding and immediately gave the staff the opportunity to stay home until the systems were in place to enable us to work from home in a safe and comfortable environment.
They did not want any staff member to put their health or lives at risk in any way especially those of us who travelled to work by public transport. Over the weeks we have all adapted to the changes imposed on us. We have embraced them as we know it is the only way forward. We are hopeful and optimistic that the situation will improve and we are doing our best to remain positive for the future.
Ligaya Soniega- A Filipino, living in Luxembourg for 16 years and a working wife:
How are you coping with this Covid19 crisis as a working wife?
Just like everyone at home I keep myself busy by baking and cooking often, watching Netflix, participating online fitness (Thanks to team Just Move), reading books, going for a walk in the park or in the forest and in some days just relaxing, sipping a glass of wine or champagne with my husband J.
Of course, I do miss the kids but in time, I will be seeing them again. For the moment, it is better to stay at home for our own safety.
Wolter Twin Sisters – Luxembourgers and at their early 20s:
How are you coping with this Covid19 crisis as a Millennials?
At first you realize that the crisis changes your life, because you’re routine is gone and you have to spend all of your time at home.
The first two-three weeks were not so bad, because we re-organized a lot in the house and found activities to do like baking, cooking, sport, etc. But after a month you start missing to meet your friends and family and do the basic things like go for a shopping trip or meet up for a drink. Suddenly you aren’t allowed to go in the public without a mask.
At first it was very weird to see the people with masks and gloves and going insane doing excessive shopping. It was shocking to see how people react when it comes to a crisis. I try to stay calm and stay positive that we will survive this period, although I start wondering how the slowly end of the lockdown will change the life and the future work.
I can’t do my job like I used to and have to keep the kids on distance. But as if for now we will getting used to the new situation and do the best of out of it.
Janice Bautista – A Filipino, living in Luxembourg for 25 years, a mother of 3 and a working wife:
How are you coping with this Covid19 crisis as a mother of three and as a government employee?
As an employee who is working at home, I really need to make sure that my job is done at the end of the day without forgetting my own responsibility as a mother.
As a mother and as a wife, Together with my family, we just try to adjust to the current situation and enjoy the positive side of it. For the moment, I am enjoying having quality time with them such as playing with my kids, cooking and eating with them.
Anonymous – Yugoslavian, living in Luxembourg for 30 years, mother of two and a working mom:
How are you coping with this Covid19 crisis as an employee in the cleaning industry?
First, I go to work every day. So as far as my working hours are concerned, there is no change. However, I have less work in the office. It’s calmer. At first it was very weird because it is something that is unknown to us to date.
This Monday I received masks from my employer. I wear it all the time because you have to protect yourself and others. We must not forget that we are not alone during this difficult time. Everything will pass and it will make us stronger.
I am also proud of the people who continue to work like me, because you have to be able to move forward.
Anonymous – A Filipino, living in Luxembourg for 16 years and a mother:
How are you coping with this Covid19 crisis as a mother?
As a wife and a mother, this Covid-19 crisis for me has a good and bad side. Good in a way that my husband is working at home and my daughter is doing home schooling. I know that they are safe and I am seeing them more often and we are eating all together. We have more family time like watching films in the evening and going for a walk with our dogs in the forest.
The bad side is that, I seem to be overwhelmed with the household chores and I don’t look forward in doing the grocery anymore and later spending a lot of time dis-infecting the goods and the things I bought before putting them in a different shelves. So, I hope and pray that life will be back to normal very soon.
Leah Belotindos – A Filipino, living in Luxembourg for 5 years , a wife and a mother of two:
How are you coping with this Covid19 crisis as a mother and a pregnant?
How am I coping during this Covid19 lockdown, Well… being pregnant and being a mother, the first thing that I have in mind is sticking to my everyday routine like 8:00 AM as my waking up time with my child. Preparing breakfast, morning shower, cleaning and so on and forth. Next is embracing my hobby and creating new ones.
I already embrace my cooking and baking hobbies but I find my time watching more on current events and watching Netflix with my husband. I also like to look for baby stuffs and clothes online for my coming little one this October.
Currently, I am thankful that I don‘t have a difficult pregnancy so I am like living not being pregnant. Lastly, I keep myself always busy by cleaning and organizing things which makes me feel good after.
I can say I don‘t have much problem in coping with the crisis because I am normally a home buddy person. Home is an environment that makes me feel comfortable and cozy.
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Staying at home is still the main option for us to remain safe.
Exploring new hobbies, creating some unique memories with our family, knowing our hidden talents, relaxing at home while watching our favorite movies and even more.
Whatever it is that we find interesting during this crisis to keep us motivated.
Let us all be optimistic and hopeful that a better days is coming to our way very soon.
Stay safe and healthy Everyone! 😊
