My Pandemic Story: 5 Ways I Transformed

Last Saturday marked the 3rd anniversary of the pandemic.

I've noticed that we no longer discuss the pandemic these days. We appear to have recovered from the pandemic, at least mentally!

Therefore, I believe it's time for me to reflect on this once-in-a-lifetime event and share some of the significant ways the pandemic has changed my values and how I live.

First, let me tell my pandemic story from the beginning...

In March 2020, I was getting ready to fly to Boston for Spring break to visit my partner.

Since I heard about the first U.S. cases of non-travel–related COVID-19 on February 26, I already seemed to have a feeling that there is a decent chance that I won't be back in Minnesota (where I was studying) for a while, so I even packed my passport with me!

On March 5, 2020, I was on the plane to Boston with a box of disinfectant wet wipes in my bag. The guy sitting next to me saw me wiping my desk and politely asked for me for one as well...

The WHO first announced that a "pandemic" has begun on March 11, 2020. Who knew that we were being thrust into a new era of the COVID-19?

From then on, there are the times PRIOR-TO and POST COVID.

In July, 2020, we drove back to Minnesota to move all my stuff out of my apartment, and with no time to say proper goodbyes, I fled Minnesota - the place where I spent almost 8 years, and started my new chapter in Boston.

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Reflecting back on the past 3 years, there are 5 major ways I changed as a result of the pandemic. To be precise, the pandemic did not directly lead to these changes. The pandemic has merely forced upon me some new circumstances that I had to cope with: having more disposal time, slowing down the pace of life, less social interaction, and not being able to travel as much.

Here are the 5 ways I changed:

1. I Realized Sunsets are not Ordinary, but Extraordinary!