Déjà vu

 A descriptive essay by Jazmin Guzman

        

    The covid-19 pandemic has become a catalyst of change globally. The changes that occur during this phenomenon can be seen in almost every aspect in the human life. The effects of this global occurrence juxtapose to life before it is perceivable in a micro perspective from the spread of the covid-19 virus in the air as well as in a large-scale perspective as it affected the employment rate of an economy. The adjustment of the people to live a life that is safe from the harmful effects of the covid-19 is taken into caution by every citizen and I am no exception in this

 

    My life has been changed by the pandemic. I wake up and pick up my phone to see a headline about the pandemic in social media as supposed to entertaining memes from life before. A reminder of the pandemic is the first thing I’ll see as I scroll pass posts in social media. I’ll then get up to get ready, making sure I fix my smile underneath the face mask. The pandemic has taken so much from people, but I refuse to give my sliver of hope to it.

 

    The commute to campus is not the same as it was. The jeepney stop looks run down due to the lack of maintenance. The once colorful painted structure is now a shade of rust maroon. The passengers at the jeepney were less than before probably because some jobs are still remote therefore their need to commute is eliminated. By the time I’ve reached the LRT station, stickers to remind people to social distance is everywhere in the station. With these changes there was a constant, Metro Manila traffic. I look out the train door to catch a glimpse of traffic below, the same tangled traffic lanes that may cause rage from those affected by it, brings comfort to me as it has been the only thing that is constant in my daily commute.

 

    The reason for my first campus visit was enrollment for the classes I will be taking for the 2nd term of the school year 2022-2023. I queue for the registrar to input the classes available. The long queue for enrollment was something I did not miss. I think to myself if this was karma for finding solace in the misfortune of the cars earlier as I am now in the same situation as they were. As time passes and I advance in the queue of having 1 meter apart between people, I am now officially enrolled for my classes. The journey home was the same leaving, and by the time I was home, I was exhausted. I change into my home clothes and lay back down on my bed. I reflected on how things are different from before. The changes it brought in my personal life and the people around me. I return to the comfort of my phone, diving back to social media. The feeling of déjà vu will come to mind in the next few days as classes are back in campus and this routine is now my reality.

 

Date: November 26, 2022