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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
What's affected me most this week is two things. Firstly I had to do a resit for university to pass and get my degree. I found this a weird thing to do as I haven't had to do any exams for so long, also everyone else had already gotten their degrees and gotten registered as a Podiatrist so I was feeling left out. Secondly, my flatmate who had been in lock down with me since March has now gone home so it is very weird and sad without her here. I hope to go home next week, so for now I am just enjoying where I live and going on my favourite walks before I go home. However, I am nervous about going home. Will I be able to hug my parents? Or should I distant myself? When will I be able to come back to Edinburgh? these are all thoughts that I've pondered over the last couple of days. It will be so nice to be home though, so I am excited. Here is a picture of one of my favourite walks around Edinburgh.
July 6, 2020
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My parents - politically conservative Covid-19 vaccine resisters - are FINALLY getting vaccinated! Both have had their first shots and are due for the 2nd in early October. It is honestly such a relief for so many reasons. First and foremost, I no longer have to worry about their health and the impact they are having on the community around them. My mom works in an elementary school with unvaccinated kids. My dad volunteers at the same school. They both attend church. It has bothered me so much that they're at personal risk and also contributing to a potential risk in their social and workplace communities. It's also a relief because my son isn't eligible for the vaccine yet - he's too young - and we have had to limit our contact with my parents because of this. It's led to guilty feelings on my part as well as anger and resentment on both sides. And it was about to happen between them and my brother as well, because his wife is due with their first baby in a few weeks, and they'd been considering whether or not it was safe to let my parents spend time with a newborn. That would have been a devastating choice for everyone involved. I am so thankful it doesn't have to be made! It's also a relief because it gives me hope that there is a way to convince unvaccinated people to change their minds. My parents are strongly in the conservative camp for politics and social issues, and they tend to repeat a lot of misinformation about the coronavirus, vaccines, and other issues of the day. I had pretty much given up hope that people like them would change their minds. But my mom wrote about being a responsible community member and grandparent, and not putting people they cared about at risk, when she texted to tell me that she was going for her first shot. Perhaps the Delta variant scared them, or my pleas finally got through, or maybe my brother talked to them about the baby... who knows? But I am so happy that they are finally protecting themselves and doing their part for the protection of others, too!
September 15, 2021