The Impact of Covid-19
Shin-Huei Lin
Department of Chinese as a Second Language
For the past few years, the Covid-19 pandemic has spread worldwide dramatically and brought about inestimable loss and unprecedented challenges to our normal life. Unconsciously, the epidemic has been going on for years. Even though the Ministry of Health and Welfare has been trying to minimize the inconvenience by cooperating with the people, we have adjusted to a new normal.
As a student, Covid-19 has affected my studies. In the past, we could interact with teachers or classmates in person. However, due to the epidemic, we were forced to conduct distance learning. In this situation, self-control became my greatest enemy. There were so many factors that distract me from online classes. To get around this, I used my parents’ computer instead, so that I could have my mom around supervising me. I also decided to place my phone in places that were far away from me. Through those efforts, I found that distance learning wasn’t as challenging as I thought. And also, thanks to this experience, I’ve learned to sort things by their priority and focus on those that are more crucial at the current moment.
In addition, I deeply feel that the distance between people has become farther. In the modern age of advanced technology, we often hear the term “technological indifference”, which refers to when a group of people is together, everyone keeps their heads down and swipes their phones. During the epidemic, due to social distancing and wearing masks, I have less chance to talk to people. On one hand, it takes more effort to speak while wearing a mask, on the other hand, there are doubts about the spread of droplets. Therefore, the impact of the epidemic on me is not only a change in daily habits but also increasing social distance between people’s hearts.
Although the distance between people has become farther, the warmth of society still exists. Now of the epidemic, there are still many unsung heroes silently guarding us. In the past, we may only thought that doctors and nurses are powerful professions, but after going through this epidemic, I sincerely hold respect for them. They bravely stood on the front line and fought against the virus. Even when it comes to reunions, such as Chinese New Year or consecutive holidays, they still stick to their posts. These days, when the epidemic broke out, I was very moved to see their figures around the clock. The medical personnel is also mortals, but for the sake of the public’s health, they sacrificed most of their time and safety to work hard for society.
Still, if we want to implement epidemic prevention, we cannot just rely on medical personnel. Fortunately, I found that the Taiwanese are very proactive. We wear masks, wash our hands frequently, and work together to fight against the epidemic. This is the most beautiful scenery during the epidemic, and also the indispensable factor of our success.
It has been three years since the outbreak of the epidemic, and my life has changed from changing to adjusting. I consider this will be the norm in the future, but the most important thing is how I adjust my mentality to face everything that occurs. I believe that as long as stick to my goal and be grateful, no matter what problem I encounter, it can be solved neatly.