A summer like no other

The summer has been very different this year. Life, for most of us, has been reduced to forced isolations at home by the coronavirus which has killed thousands of people around the globe.

As the country continues to grapple with the pandemic, one may wonder if things are ever going to be the same again. This pandemic will go down in history not only for the devastations it has caused, but also for the important lessons it has taught us.

Life wasn’t all that rosy in our school before the advent of the virus. We have an overcrowded sports ground which is usually swarming with students during break time. One of the students, Rafeed, once got hit on the head with a football while playing cricket and he immediately fell to the ground to the laughter of others.

On another occasion, my classmate Lamya was playing rock-paper-scissors and she had let out a squeal of joy which caught the attention of our class teacher Mahima Miss. The angry teacher then proceeded to separate us and had us sit at different corners of the classroom. I got to sit beside the healthiest boy in the class who was scattering burger sauce all around. It was disgusting! Another classmate of mine, Farhan, later told us the cafeteria had run out of burgers and they were selling samosa-sized chicken sandwiches which apparently had little chicken in them. The news made everyone turn red in rage.

At the start of the lockdown, it felt like a family vacation. My parents, especially my mother, was very happy and she was looking forward to spending some quality time with the family. But as they say, excess of anything is bad. After a period of time it all became monotonous. Everything that could be done at home was done. We had tried and perfected all the recipes that my mother could get her hands on. All the plants we potted and cared for had finished blooming. I now miss the ‘normal life’ at school. I had perhaps taken it for granted that friends are forever. There was a time when I didn’t speak to a friend over a silly reason for two entire days. Now, I repent my actions. 

If I ever make it back to school, I would drown myself in the crowd and live life to the fullest. I would happily accept the stain of sauce on my desk and not scour for chickens in my sandwich. My best friend’s birthday is just around the corner and I promise to gently feed him his cake this time instead of smashing it on his face.

I pray to God to save us all from the virus.

-Mustayeen Ul  Bari, Age 10, Grade IV, DPS STS School Dhaka

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