PATRICIA MARTINEZ

March again? Wow! That’s the only word that comes to mind when I realize that a year has already passed since that March 13, 2020; the last day of what I knew as normal life and the beginning of my fear of an unknown virus—a virus I’d only known until then to be coming from the other side of the world, that people were dying from, that had already reached the United States, and that had been declared a pandemic just two days earlier. That day, in the late afternoon, after the staff meeting—which was held with social distancing—we were informed that starting Monday, we would be working from home until further notice. I gathered my notebooks, pens, sweaters, and personal items I used in my day-to-day life from my desk. I left the office with a coworker who was a little surprised by my box—today I feel like quite the visionary. Something inside me told me that this thing called COVID-19 would last longer than two weeks or 40 days. As we walked through the deserted streets of D.C., filled with a sense of uncertainty, we stopped by my house to drop off my box and then headed to a supermarket where most of the shelves were already empty—a sight that left me worried and brought back painful memories of similar moments from my past in my home country, Venezuela. At the time, I couldn’t fully grasp everything we were beginning to experience; I could only think about how vulnerable we humans are and how something we can’t even see can change the world so radically. Over the past twelve months, I’ve developed many new skills, and I’ve also gone through a range of emotions. Some of these were feelings I had never experienced before, such as the fear of leaving my house and contracting a deadly disease just by touching an elevator button. Everyday life became extraordinary; activities like going to the supermarket, shopping online, or getting toilet paper were tasks that became impossible to carry out and required a lot of time and effort to accomplish due to the high demand for food and cleaning products. As the months went by, my mind gradually adapted to the new normal, and I learned to take care of myself and those around me. I’ve focused my time on setting goals, routines, and schedules, and on doing activities I enjoy and find relaxing, such as coloring, reading, going to the park, watching Netflix series, taking photos, and doing yoga at home. Balancing my time between work, leisure, and household chores has allowed me to make the most of this time at home to learn new skills—such as marketing—that enhance my professional profile. I’ve also been able to brush up on terminology and learn new topics in my field, thanks to various free online courses, such as those offered by LinkedIn. That’s definitely one of the very positive things the pandemic has given us, and I’ve also come to appreciate knowing that we’re not alone—that with just one click, we can connect with our loved ones, the ones who lift our spirits when we need it and know just what to say to support us and help us keep moving forward. I’ve discovered new hobbies and rediscovered some I’d forgotten about, like photography. With online classes, I’ve had the opportunity to put what I’ve learned into practice, which has also allowed me to take my mind off the endless routine and force myself to make time for something I’m passionate about. Thanks to the pandemic, I now consider myself someone who is more mindful of my actions, who dares to step outside my comfort zone—like writing a blog—who stays focused on my personal and professional goals, who enjoys spending time with others, and who is grateful for those moments. My final message would be that we should focus on solutions and always look for the positive side of situations, as well as how we can tackle them with the resources at our disposal.