WWFRANK
It’s been 4 months of ‘Covid-19 Holiday’, which I will simply refer to as COViday. The longest academic recess I’ve ever had since joining school, some 11 odd years ago.
Nobody expected such a break; it has made some people and broken others. But as my mum says, ‘In any situation, you can either count the losses or your victories.’ I choose to always count my victories even in the face of failure and disappointment. As a Freshman, the break has had its advantages and disadvantages. I expected to complete my KCSE at 17, but now it seems I will leave high school an adult with a national ID!
Adulthood comes with responsibility, and I’d hoped to accomplish a few things here and there before it finally comes knocking. Someone once said, ‘A few years from now, you will be able to tell who was working and who was not.’ Of course, for some students this Coviday was a good break; a time to fold hands, do away with books, and forget the never-ending assignments.
Some are heartbroken because they will not sit the much anticipated national exams. Others are happy they have been given a little more time to polish up and be ready for the upcoming exams. Others still did not put a pause but have continued with their classes as usual. It all depends on where we stand in the economic continuum. If you are like me, a child from a middle-income family that believes in hard work and facing everyday problems hard-on, you have been at home enjoying your Coviday.
Without organized online classes but with guidance from my parents and the privilege of home Wi-Fi, I have managed to do a few things that I would never have done were it not for the long holiday. Here are a few ways the Covid-19 holiday has been a blessing in disguise: It gave me an opportunity to transition smoothly from Primary to High School. I have done several Whatsapp and Zoom classes that have enabled me to understand some concepts I had not understood in school.
This, coupled with the thorough research I did on various problem topics, has prepared me for better days in highschool. I got a chance to sharpen my internet research skills. I have always done research on topics I did not understand, but what I was doing in primary school is child play compared to what I have learnt during this season especially from Britannica. As I discovered, most of the Form 1 work is just an introduction with advanced studies on the same topics later in Form 3.
This has given me a great foundation for my high school studies. I also do research for my blog and YouTube channel every day, and I’ve learnt quite a lot about world history.
Through internet research, I have learnt how to make crafts, agriculture, and life. For instance, when we were planting flowers in our front yard, I read a lot on how to take care of Cana lilies, agapanthus, hydrangea, golden shower creepers among others. The long break gave me an opportunity to venture into online content creation.
I love writing, and my mum has always encouraged me to write without ceasing. When I joined high school, I wrote a solo verse for the drama team which had gone to the County Level before Coronavirus successfully put it to a halt. However, in February my mum registered a blog for me where I could post my stories. It was not until the Coviday that I decided to get started.
After doing several online classes and interacting with fellow teens from West countries on Youtube, I decided to give it a shot. I created the first video which was received well, then the second.
On my 14th birthday, my parents decided to complete setting up my blog where I can start publishing my work. It gave me the chance to learn a new language. I developed my quest for multilingualism at a young age. My mom did Linguistics for her undergrad and has told me of opportunities lost for failing to fluently speak a foreign language. I started with Chinese but the computer with the program is kaput.
However, recently after mum introduced me to an app that she said teaches better than any tutor she ever paid before. Nevertheless, I did not see its relevance until I went to watch the movie ‘SAAHO’ which required some competence in Hindi. My interest peaked after watching an interesting Korean series on Netflix.
I learn foreign languages online to not only pass time but also to be good in those languages. My hope is that I will be fluent in at least 3 foreign languages by the time I clear high school.GardeningFun is good, and most of the things I have been doing above are fun. But I also have to help at home.
During the lockdown, I not only learnt how to plant grass and flowers but also how to take care of them. I water the front and back yard at least twice a day, and I’m happy the canna lilies we planted are producing new shoots, the arabica grass is thickening, and next, I want to help my mum with the kitchen garden.
Of course, times have not given us enough room to exercise physically, but mentally I solve puzzles and play games. Are you a student who would like to share your experience during the Covid-19 break? Please share in the comments box or leave a message on the chatbox below.
