We are all in a situation that nobody chose but that is now a necessity. No matter where we are in the world we are all impacted by COVID19, one way or another. Despite the fear that we all feel in these moments we are overwhelmed with the constant influx of information and misinformation. It is true that some of us are at higher risk – for instance, older people and people with severe underlying health conditions, but what about our mental and emotional health during this global pandemic.

At first staying home while everything was canceled seemed like a break most of us needed. But than, analyzing the situation you understand that not only the world is threatened by an invisible enemy, but at the same time you are loosing a lot of things from your normal life.
Due to the corona virus, I could not finish my one month internship at ALDA Kosovo, in Pec that I was enjoying a lot. I had to come back to Albania since the government ordered to close the borders. This canceled the trips I have planned with my friends too.
Returning home I had to accept the situation (like we all did) and try to create a routine for the new “normality”.

As a person that does not like the technology that much, now I use it for everything. I talk with my friends through video calls, we even had virtual birthday parties (it was strange, but fun). My classes are online now. Of course it is not the same thing as normal classes, but it is effective enough. We use Google Classroom or Zoom and we all (students and professors) are doing our best to make things work.

Taking online classes and working on my Thesis are the only obligations I have now and to be honest, take me a lot of time. I try to create a balance between the things I have to do and those I want to do, so I have a bit of diversity.

I finally found the time to read all the books that were waiting for me, started to paint and this is like a therapy for me that helps me remove the negative energy, I do Yoga daily, I take care of the plants we have in home and what I have discovered recently is that we  can visit virtually some of the most famous museums throughout the world, like the incredible Louvre in Paris for example. The virtual tour section on its website unfolds a generous part of its vast treasure. You can find there other interesting materials as well, all regarding some of the most important art pieces in the world. So this is a form of travelling but staying home and being safe at the same time.

The most important of them all is that this situation helped me reflect and learn a lot. I realized how important every little thing in my life is, even the ones I complain the most. We take things for granted and forget what matters the most.

I think there's a value to being able to slow down, reflect, and to truly know, understand, and realize what's important and what's not. I think this pandemic has put that in perspective for a lot of us.

Let’s spread love from home, understand and forgive each other and at the same be a better version of ourselves, so when everything is over we work together to make things better.

Klajva Xheka 
LDA Kosovo Intern