Lockdown Life

Dhruv – Year 9 Student

Editor’s note: Year 9 student Dhruv writes here about his personal experiences of coronavirus lockdown. He talks of missing the joys of summer and playing cricket, but comes to realise the value of social interaction, time spent with family, and even time spent in the classroom. This is Dhruv’s third publication in The GSAL Journal; you can read more from Dhruv here. CPD

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Life as a teenager should be active, physical and, most importantly, enjoyable. But now every single child’s life on this planet has been flipped upside down, the energetic and positive spirit has faded away. The pleasures of childhood, the pleasures of being free-spirited, has been stripped away. I am writing this chronicle to not just share my pain over the last few months, but the pain of every single child out there.

Summer for me is the most memorable part of the year. As your step out into the fresh but silent air, you can smell the scent of the freshly cut grass flowing straight up your nostrils. Summer is a time to rejoice, as the sun shines across the sky, it is a time to lay back and forget all the great darkness of reality. And, for me, summer is a time for cricket, a time in which I am finally able to enjoy life. The rest of the year I would be cooped up inside, where I would have to listen to a person explaining the same subject for 50 minutes, six times a day. Breathing the intoxicated air, having nothing to look forward to, but the darkness of the cold day.

It was March, I was once again just about able to see the light of summer; but then a virus struck us, one that would ruin my childhood, forever. I couldn’t bear the thought of sitting inside, when I should be outside enjoying myself in the beautiful summer weather, while pacing in to bowl…. that really hit me.

And then I realised. School was originally created to educate, although now it has an extra purpose. School is now about socializing, making friends. Although currently those advantages have been taken away. I now am sitting inside alone, typing answers into this lifeless piece of technology, and I am starting to really understand the importance of attending school. One positive thought (I guess) that I can take away from this disaster, is that I was finally able to spend many more hours with my family, whether it is going for a nice stroll or having a great argument, especially with my brother. As a nation, we have to stick together and fight through these hard times. I guess it is inevitable that at the end of this long dark tunnel light will shine upon us, once again.

Dhruv 988127