Insider story: The Corona Chronicles

“I am in awe of the Vietnamese government’s tenacity and resilience. They are a proud and gentle people, yet fierce in defending their country” – Hind Korraa.

I awake from a disturbing dream in a cold sweat, dazed and confused, my heart palpitating. I take a long deep breath and slowly open my eyes. I hear the birds chirping and see the soft early morning sunlight beaming in through the window. I look around the room and everything seems unchanged. I sigh, relieved that it was only a dream. Only it wasn’t.

A flow of adrenaline rushes through my blood, crudely forcing me to come to the bitter realization I was trying to deny. It’s dizzying and I’m forced to take regard to it and give my full attention that, in fact, it wasn’t a dream. It was real.

The dream left me tossing and turning all night, unable to wake myself. There was chaos; there was fear; every person in every country in every continent was no longer safe. Everyone was hiding, praying that the Beast would pass them by. Even the world’s superpowers were unprepared, unequipped against it. We were being stalked by an insatiable intangible being that you could not touch or see or even hear; but was very much present. It could strike at any time, at any place, indiscriminately.

The Apocalypse had come and had pulled the rug from beneath our feet. The Corona-Beast was hunting the human race down. It had fortitude and stealth and was pummeling everything in sight.

“The Corona-Beast was hunting the human race down” @ Hind Salah Korraa

It would change life as we know it. It would shake us up and compel us to make choices, prioritize, come together, and regain empathy and selflessness which we let slip away in our daily grind. It would force us to see what really mattered, a rude awakening.

I wondered if it were here to teach mankind a lesson. Had Mother Nature finally had enough? Was this her Wrath, a way of forcing us to finally stop and listen? Was she done sending signs and heeding to our consciences? Was this our slap in the face- our wake-up call?

It would show us the true meaning of uncertainty. Businesses closed down indefinitely, as did schools, universities, restaurants and shopping malls, factories. Country borders were closed, travel halted; nevertheless, it knew no borders. We were compelled to practice social distancing and self-isolation to protect ourselves, our families and those in our community, and also our entire world. We had to pioneer coping mechanisms for unprecedented circumstances. We did everything it took to try to tame the Beast.

Incipiently, back in early 2020, it was gravely underestimated, being called a “flu virus”. With time, the more scientists seemed to decipher it, the more mysterious variables it threw at them on how it maneuvers, leaving them scratching their heads and us wondering what to believe. We were unable to fathom this being until it reared its ugly head.

We watched in frozen horror as the numbers of victims inflicted in Wuhan, China exponentially grew every day as did the death toll. The cowardly faceless beast would continue ravaging across borders, spreading like wildfire. Scientists remained reluctant to use the word “pandemic”, until it became inevitable, and here we are.

Reading the news is incomprehensible. We pray for those fighting for their lives; and we light candles and pray for those who passed. We reach out with family and friends via video calls, feeling helpless, unable to offer more than solace.

We pray for those fighting for their lives; and we light candles and pray for those who passed @ Hind Salah Korraa

As travel bans ensued, people struggled to get to their home countries and others decided to stay put. Hospital workers around the world are overstretched, overwhelmed, struggling physically and mentally from the unprecedented horrors they are witnessing. The most capable of scientists are left scrambling to develop a vaccine.

Weddings have been cancelled; churches have been closed; even funerals are being held privately. Now more than ever, nobody knows what tomorrow will bring, let alone the future.

As everything in our preplanned lives fizzles around us, we are forced to take a step back and really reevaluate our lives. How are our life footprints affecting others, however far? How are our habits depleting Mother Earth and her resources? When is it enough? What really matters?

Could the apocalyptic threat to the human race be the beacon of hope for Mother Earth? Things we fuss over on a daily basis suddenly begin to seem insignificant and miniscule. That work promotion, that new car, the children’s schoolwork, that haircut, that get-together with friends…all seem petty. Those summer travel plans- they seem frivolous now.

It is time to come together. This experience has shown us that we can and are able to change our habits. We have witnessed a reduction in air pollutants and warming gases; it is attainable- by simply changing our habits and being creative about it.

We are able to use our creativity to accommodate challenging factors. We have had to reinvent ways of doing things; and create a “new normal” for ourselves. We have learned to work remotely, but still together; our children have learned to practice online learning. Retailers that have relied on in-store visits have shifted to online orders and deliveries. Dot coms are flourishing.

When God closes a door, He opens a window.

We need to see the silver lining. The birds are chirping louder than usual; the sun is shining brighter through unpolluted skies. We are getting more quality time with our children to have deep meaningful conversation and not while we are both multitasking. There are charities being raised to help those who have lost their income, merely collateral damage as the Beast reaps. People are volunteering to bring groceries and medicine to the frail and elderly. Neighbors are serenading each other and connecting by singing across balcony tops. Goats have reclaimed old villages where they used to roam wild, free and happy. Wild animals are rediscovering land that was originally their habitat due to less humans roaming around. Cruel wildlife trade is under a microscope and actions plans to hammer down on it are underway.

“When God closes a door, He opens a window.” @ Hind Salah Korraa

We have rediscovered simple pleasures such as jigsaw puzzles, board and card games as a family, oil painting, writing, reading novels and touching up on our baking skills, and gaining the weight to show for it! It made us realize just how little we need to truly be happy and how much we have to be thankful for- our family, our friends, our health, food on the table, a roof over our head, the very air we breathe. The rest is just a bonus.

Being physically constrained, apps are providing free services from meditation to live virtual opera performances, to virtual religious services, free language courses; people are offering relief in their own way, bringing some much-needed positivity and optimism.

As we come together, we realize just how similar we all are stripped down to our very core. This reality is truly humbling. We can come out of this with clear perspective. Humanity has come together in search for a vaccine for this pandemic. There is a sense of worldwide community and ownership that humanity was lacking.

As we journey further into time, I recall when I was a child wondering what the “future” would be like. What would the year 2020 be like? It sounded mystical, after all. Would we all have our own flying vehicle? Would we have mind-reading technology? Would we each have our own robots? Never in a million years, would I have guessed that mankind would return to plague-like days. We can come out of this stronger.

As I count my blessings, I feel extremely fortunate to live in a country that would prove to be, not only extremely farsighted, but extremely proactive. Vietnam knew they had to put the fight against corona first and foremost, even if it meant suspending education, businesses, and the incoming influx of tourism. They could foresee that if left unleashed, the outcome would be devastating. They knew that they could refocus on the economy later; but if this was not dealt with precision and proper scrutiny; there would be no economy.

I am in awe of the Vietnamese government’s tenacity and resilience. They are a proud and gentle people, yet fierce in defending their country @ Hind Salah Korraa

I am in awe of the Vietnamese government’s tenacity and resilience. They are a proud and gentle people, yet fierce in defending their country. The skill, determination and tactics used to track every single patient inflicted and anyone they had come into contact with upto the fifth degree, all in efforts to prevent the spread of the pandemic will be admired and taught in textbooks for generations to come.

By Hind Korraa (hind.salah@gmail.com) | The opinions expressed here are her own.

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