Surviving Lockdown

In this current year 2020, a new virus has emerged globally, called COV 19. Now, people are staying indoors and reducing contact with other people, and only going out for walks, and shopping for essentials. In this blog post, I am going to talk about what I have learned during this pandemic, what I have discovered, skills I have learned and developed, things I have missed and things I do not miss, and what my  future goals are after lockdown ends.

What I have learned so far,  is how to manage my time effectively, save money, as so far, before lockdown I used to spend so much money on unnecessary materials  such as coffee, lunches, etc, and only use it for essential purposes, such as grocery, and charity. I have also learned how to be patient during difficult times, especially if some items are out of stock, such as toilet paper, wipes, and how to deal with network issues, since during this current situation, there is more demand for internet, and technical issues can arise, so we need to learn how to cope with it. I have also learned how to resolve conflicts with my household members, especially when I  share a room with one of them, as privacy can be a concern when it comes to working spaces, so my sister and I have decided to do our work separately, and not disturb each other unless necessary. I have learned how to deal with stress, by being assertive, and expressing my needs but at the same time understanding other people's perspectives.
What I have discovered so far, is other social media networks that I never knew existed before lockdown, such as Zoom, where I can communicate with my family members, and friends. My sister so far, have discovered baking, and has made cakes, such as orange cupcakes, and muffins with cooked fruits. I have also started to become fit, by doing exercises online, with my sisters, which I never did before.  During the first weeks of lockdown, I found it difficult to adjust, and was worried about how I was going to manage with my college assignments, but so far, I have completed my HND degree in Business, as most of the time my classmates and I were studying independently. I used my time, to listen to Islamic lectures about Akhlaq and other Islamic ethics that could be beneficial in life, and reflect on myself, by identifying my strengths and weaknesses. I am also studying Persian, by revising key terms and phrases, which can be useful, as my main goal is to communicate effectively in Persian in Iran, if we go and with my friends.

The things that I have missed, is going out to restaurants, and working in coffee shops and libraries, and commuting by train by reading  a good book, and visiting my relatives, especially my 2 year old niece. During the first two months, we did not see each other in person, only through Skype and Whatsapp, but after Ramadan, we took a walk to her house, and my sister, and niece come over but not as often as before. What I do not miss, is waking up extra early to get ready for college, and large gatherings. When waking up extra early, I have to resist the temptation to hit the snooze button, and wait for the train to come, especially if there is a delay. With large gatherings, as much as I like interacting with my cousins, too much stimulation can be stressful.

My goals after lockdown, is be more fit, by going for a walk during my breaks in University, doing morning exercises, such as stretches at home, and attending fitness classes. I want to be more independent both emotionally and finally, by making a budget plan, and sticking to it, by eating out once a week or once a month, and for coffee once every other week, or once or twice a month. I might consider volunteering or applying for a part-time job in a library for work experience during the days I am not going to university, to develop my skills for my career in the library industry.

Next Post: Ramadan During Lockdown

The Cheesecake Factory

Cheesecake Factory is a not just a place where you order cheesecakes but also other things as well. I went there for the first time. I felt like this place was a palace. There are also some good seats there. The food we ordered on the menu was delicious. I ordered a chocolate cheesecake hersleys. I couldn't stop staring at it. Imagine you were the cheesecake and my mouth was watering everytime I look at you. I feel like I'm on an adventure as I'm eating you. Now you're in my stomach! Okay it's my turn now. I'm the cheesecake and you're me. You feel hungry eveytime you look at me and everytime you think of me. I'm your favourite food! Now I'm in your stomach!

My Birthday

I just turned 15 and I had a wonderful birthday. I ate pancakes for breakfast. I did book shopping. I went to the borders bookshop in Deira City Centre. Before I went book shopping I went on goodreads.com and went to the to-read section and chose as many books as I wanted. There was some I was dying to read for ages. I only found one book which was 'shopaholic ties the knot'. I couldn't find the others. I asked the shop owner about it he searched everywhere and he said that they don't sell these books. Oh yeah, I haven't told you about the treasure hunt yet. I woke up and I found notes from my bed to the fridge on the cupcake container. That was bad news that I didn't find the other books. But anyway I was happy that I bought two new dresses, one from 'max' and one from 'Next'. We went to a cafe in Sahara centre. Sorry I don't remember exactly which cafe we went. We had fun anyways. I went on facebook and 14 people who is my friend on facebook wrote on my facebook timeline wishing me a happy birthday. I wrote them a reply of thanks.

Hijab

Once upon a time there was a girl called Batool who was only 8 years old and she was turning 9 in June.
One day Batool was reading a book about a girl who has already worn hijab. Her birthday was next month. She was wondering what change would be in her and wishes she wanted to make. Her mom told her,
''Batool, you'll be turning 9 next month and we will not just have a birthday party but a Takleef party and you'll be wearing hijab. Now  what I want you to do is write invitations then give them to all of your muslim friends. They will be lots of presents for you and surprises.  While you go to your friend's house, I am going to take a trip to the store to buy some party supplies.''
The next day at school, Batool gave the invitations to all of her friends. She had 8 friends and only 7 of them wore hijab but there was one without hijab. Their names were; Zahra, Noor, Huda, Nada, Aminah, Fatima, Maryam and the one without hijab was Samira. They looked at their invitation then at Batool. They were captivated because they'd never been to a Takleef party before.
''Wow, I can't wait to see you wear hijab after your Takleef party, I wonder how you'll look like with the hijab,'' said her best friend, Aminah.
''I'd never wore hijab in my whole life,prayed, been to the mosque or fasted every day in Ramadan,'' said Batool.
''Then you'll have to wear hijab everywhere, even when they are visitors at your house, who are men,'' declared Huda.
''You'll have to go to Friday prayers every week in the mosque,'' said Maryam.
''And fast everyday in Ramadan, it's wajib,'' added Fatima.
The bell rang. '' Got to go, see you after school,'' declared Noor.

Six hours later, after school Batool's mom was at the gate. So Batool and her friends went in the car.
Batool's mom  dropped them at Aminah's house and then she headed to the store to get some party supplies for Batool's Takleef party.
The girls had so much fun at Aminah's house. They ate popcorn and watched a movie called 'The Secret Life of Animals', listened to Anasheed and played hide and seek.
An hour later, Batool's mom was at the door so Batool had to go home and help her mom get everything ready. She cleaned the house, setted the table and hung up the balloons.
There was a knock at the door. Batool went to get it, it was Aminah and her mom. She was holding a present shaped like a jewel box. She gave it to Batool but she didn't get a chance to thank her so she decided to thank her later after she opens her presents.
Ten minutes later, Batool's friends were all there so the party was ready to begin. Batool's mom played the Anasheed on the tape. Everyone,including Batool began to dance like crazy. Suddenly, they were all starving so they went to the table. At the table there was a chocolate and in the whipped cream it said 'Happy Birthday and Takleef Batool' there was a pack of chocolate chip cookies, a pack of chips and 9 party hats.
Everyone got a slice of cake and wore their party hats. Everyone ate everything so there was only a few food left and there were crumbs lying on the floor everywhere.
Five minutes later, it was Batool's present opening session so she unwrapped the presents.
Aminah got her a watch, Maryam ,a princess doll, who also wore hijab, Samira, a hijabish red shirt, Noor, a Quran book, Huda, a white hijab, Nada, a prayer mat, Fatima, a duaa book and Zahra an abaya.
Batool thanked them all and said,''You're my best friends I ever had!''

The next day Batool wore her white hijab that Huda had given her to school. Batool's friends liked seeing Batool wear hijab. Nobody teased her the way she looks.

Lonely Birthday

Hi,my name is Alex and I'm turning 8 tomorrow so I'm going to have a birthday party and I will invite all of my friends so now I'm writing invitations.
I have a sister called Alice who's only 4. She's really brutal to me and I abominate her because she's really annoying and I'm absent-minded and can't do my homework with her around. My mum and dad don't really care about my birthday and they make me wear damp clothes to every party.

''Mom,I can't wear this stupid jacket everyone will laugh at me,'' I whined.
''Don't worry Alex,it'll look fine on you,'' Mum replied.
''But mom-''
''Don't argue with me,now do as you're told!''
I really hate it when my mom makes me wear clothes to school that are incompatible. We live in Crown City and our school is called the Mighty Mountain Elementary School. My best friends are Maria,George,Jenna and Fern. But I really hate Arthur,Molly and Shelley. They're bullies and I hate Shelley the most because he is a big bully and always gives me a big punch. I gave my invitaions to all of my classmates.
They looked at the invitations then at me. They were debatable either to go or not.
''Well,well,well,now we've got a birthday boy here who's having a birthday party tomorrow,'' said Arthur.
''I'm sorry Alex,but we've got two parties to go to,'' said Maria.
''What? I'm not going to those parties anyway and it's my birthday so you should come!'' I cried.
George and Jenna felt sorry for me.
''We're sorry,but your house is too far,'' said George.
Fern shook her head and said I should just spend my time alone.

My family don't care about me and they haven't bought me any presents and there's no cake. I sat there lonely and sang 'Happy Birthday' to myself. I burst into tears because no one loves me and cares about me. I read a book and played with my toys.

The next morning I woke up and hurried to school.
''Hey Arthur, look, there's this birthday boy again,'' sneered Shelley.
They both laughed then Molly came in and was involved too.
''Hey birthday boy, did you have a nice party,'' teased Molly.
''Of course not,'' I answered furiously.
''I hope you didn't sneak out of your house and buy presents for yourself then you'll be in big trouble,'' said Arthur.
I waved to my friends. They were abashed for not coming to my birthday party.
They did a surprise party for me and I felt captivated because I never had this fun party before.