“Not a Normal Year The year-long pandemic, with its endless and ever-changing restrictions has taken its toll on children as well as adults. We asked three of our students, one from each of the ‘end of division years’ to reflect on their own Covid-19 experience.
A YEAR OF DISCOVERY
To be honest, the way things took a drastic turn in the course of last year didn’t affect me as badly as it did others. I don’t precisely know how I perceived it at the moment but, from where I am now, I reckon it was neither good nor bad, neither traumatic nor idle. Having that said, I do not wish to have to go through it again. Watching motivation videos didn’t help towards the end, as the sun and nice weather were
too tempting not to leave school aside and go outside, even if it was just to stay in your backyard. This was, of course, not my experience in a nutshell: it was also a good time to reflect on myself. The “whole thing,” as I am incapable of naming whatever last year was, helped me discover how I function and my limits. School almost seemed like trying to run on a string during lockdown – I was scared of falling and not being able to climb back up. Anxiety. I hadn’t experienced it yet until that day. I don’t
THE CHEESE TOUCH What do the ‘cheese touch’, an Egyptian mummy, and dirty laundry have in common? Covid-19! The ‘cheese touch’ is from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, where a student accidentally touches a piece of moldy cheese. Now everyone that touches him or her is contaminated and catches the ‘cheese touch.’ Except that’s just a story, but with Covid-19, it’s for real. Just the idea that a microscopic thing like a virus can kill hundreds of thousands of people is depressing. And even if I don’t get sick from the coronavirus, I can still contaminate others. Since the beginning of the epidemic, I’ve barely been able to hug my sweet, gentle and lonely great-grandmother. Mémé is 88 years old, she
14 C O M P A S S M A G A Z I N E
necessarily know what I was worried or nervous about. I just think the whole situation was stirring up feelings and ideas I had unconsciously made abstraction of to concentrate on my rather busy life and stay on track. I’d like to think of myself as a pretty balanced person, but this anxiety attack enabled me to discover my limits, which I gladly welcome, because I believe that to be the better version of yourself you need to accept what you are and who you are. You need to accept the irrational thoughts that float in your mind and acknowledge your insecurities to make them your strengths. In terms of milestones or events I am missing, I don’t necessarily give a great importance to that, as I genuinely don’t know what I am missing
this year in comparison to the Amsterdam trip in Cinquième, which honestly, is legendary. For example, we are currently in January and towards this time there used to be the Snow Ball Dance for the Troisièmes, which seems like a fun event, but not knowing too much about it I do not think I am affected as much as I could have been. I don’t make a list of all the things I am missing, but try to see what life has to offer. I wake up everyday not hoping for a better day but wishing for a good day. I sometimes think of how life would be if everything was back to normal again but what is “normal” anymore? Clementine Djomby, Troisième
lives by herself in the countryside, and never goes out of her house. I hate thinking of her being alone, and I miss playing board games with her. But I couldn’t possibly give her the cheese touch! A good way to protect your family is to take a Covid-19 test. Before flying to the US for the holidays, I resented the nurse sticking a
