Life in the Midst of COVID-19 (Published by Ukiyoto Publishing)

November 2020

November 01. Here in the Philippines we celebrate All Saints Day every first day of November and All Souls Day every second day of November. These two days are celebrated annually.

Just like the typical Filipino custom (in general), my family and I prepared foods and we ate lunch together and we sang in a video karaoke. It was great but later I was guilty. Honestly, when I sang with my family, I didn't intend to please God but I intended to please my neighbors and other people. It was really bad and I felt disappointed to myself, too. At the same I regretted why I did that.

November 02. We were so happy because we saw and felt the sunshine once again for we heard the news from the radio that the super typhoon Rolly will be out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) the next morning. But here in our place the weather was already fine. I heard the news that super typhoon Rolly was the strongest typhoon of the year 2020.

However, there's a bad news because another typhoon was expected to enter the  Philippine Area of Responsibility.

November 03. I saw the news on TV that the super typhoon Rolly created a big impact to the people. There were a few of people killed in Luzon area due to the said super typhoon.

On the other hand, there's a good news inspite of everything. As what I've heard on the news from a radio, there were less than 10 active cases in Cebu as of that day. It made me feel happy because before, more than 100 active cases were reported everyday.

November 04. I've heard the news there's already vaccine for COVID-19. It's a good news. However, there's a problem. First, Philippines is not a rich country that's why the government has a low budget for it. The president promised that the poor ones should be the priority in vaccination. The president reasoned that the poor people hardly afford in buying the vaccine for themselves unlike the rich people.

Unfortunately, the poor people didn't like this idea. They felt that it was dangerous idea for them. They (poor people) felt like they just served as the experiment for the vaccine. They also added that (perhaps) the government didn't allow the rich people to be firstly vaccinated because they have value to the nation unlike the poor people.

This is just a paradigm of what the poor people's reactions: If ever the poor people would be vaccinated and there would be any complications, the poor people predicted that it would be fine to some because they didn't have great wealth or business. But if rich people would be in a complication state due to taking the vaccine ahead than than the poor ones, then their wealth or businesses would be in trouble. That's why the poor people won't allow to be vaccinated.

On this situation, I don't want to put or write my opinion here about the vaccine for COVID-19. Only God knows about everything.

November 05. I suffered nostalgia. I missed my city life, lifestyles, and my previous work.

I remembered when I was living in the city, I wished to go back to my home town.  I wished to live with my family, no study, no work. I wished I could sleep whenever it suited me.

Unexpectedly, God gave it all to me. Funny it is! But now I wanted to have work and study. I wanted to have that kind of life once again.

November 07. This day we had a great night with my parent. We spent the night in singing the video karaoke until 11 PM. Unfortunately after that I suffered insomnia. I couldn't fall asleep even if I closed my eyes.

Around 3 AM I fall asleep and I was not used to sleep that hour. After one hour, I woke up and I had headache. That time I suffered panic anxiety once again. I believed it was because of I was pressured. I didn't have job and I saw other people I've known that they job. I suddenly compared myself to them and I felt useless, meaningless, and worthless. I was just stocked in my hometown, without nothing to do.

November 08. My head really ached and my body felt so weak due to depression, insomnia and panic anxiety.

I wonder when this thing would end!

November 11. The typhoon Ulysses hit the Luzon Region.

November 13. I saw the news on TV about the condition of the people there and I couldn't help but to feel pity and cried.

November 16. I complained God the past few days because I really felt bored and I didn't have job. Honestly, I also felt insecure to my siblings and other people who have jobs because I didn't have one.

But when I watched TV, I saw the poor condition of the Luzon area. They're really pitiful.

I could compare them to the chickens. The Air Force of the  Philippines gave to the people through air dropping because their place was isolated due to the typhoon. The relief goods were dropped by the air force and the people their were catching the food packs. The helicopter could not land due to the excessive mud of the place. When the person wasn't able to catch the food packs because the food packs were heavy, they just got those from the mud. I saw that the victims didn't mind at all as long as they had foods to share with their families.

I saw in an another place that the people were fighting because the food packs were  not enough to all the people there. At first they fall in line but then when they knew that there were no enough food packs, they broke the line and grabbed the rest of the food packs selfishly. They didn't mind the health protocols anymore like maintaining the social distancing as long as they could grab some food packs.

The level of the water was rising and most of the people were just staying on the roof of their house. I felt worried to them. Like how would they deal that situation? No neat and dry floor, not enough foods and clean water. No neat and dry clothes, blankets, pillows, mats or beds and no comfort rooms. It's so sad to see the situation.

Filipinos encountered super typhoon Yolanda and Ondoy previously. The only difference from the katest super typhoon and typhoons was that the people didn't face pandemic that time. The other countries could help the Filipinos unlike this year.

aside from typhoon Ulysses, Mindanao experienced an earthquake. According to the Filipinos, year 2020 is the hardest year for over 45 years here in the Philippines.

The Filipinos faced natural disasters such as typhoon, earthquake, burning  in the middle of COVID-19!

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BOTTOM LINE

1. Put in mind that everything you do, do it to please God and not the people.

2. Never complain to God. His ways are really mysterious and those ways are intended for the best for us.

3.Never compare yourselves to other people. Each one of us is completely unique. We have different journey and pace of time.

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Glory to God!

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