Ebube: The first question is, how have you changed from the time the pandemic started until now.
Donald: I’ll go first, all right. So I would say my mental health has become more effective because I went through a lot during the pandemic like I went like through like a crazy stage, and it was not even funny like I was talking to my walls and trading stuff to like I missed always going out, and I was like, going to my friends’ houses and all that stuff, so that, really like got me to like to understand like I could be alone and be happy.
I thought, like I needed my friends to be happy, you know, people to be happy. But like what the pandemic I found myself, like, you know, being happy alone, which I do now. I love it. So yeah.
Ebube: How about you Jared, I can’t wait to hear your answer?
Jared: Okay for me. For me, I was always busy with school (right) and when the pandemic came locked down, I just didn’t have anything to do and I was just like so lost.
So like, so like few months, I was like sitting down on my couch being lazy and realize you know I need to do something. So, I started looking for a new hobby to do and like I started reading again, I tried to be consistent with guitar practice; but that did not work out so well, and I just and then I ended up looking for jobs.
And then, after the lockdown, like I got hired at Walmart, so that was good. So from that, I just like grew to like understand like don’t like to not like waste time as much, even though there’s like so much you have like so much time to like been like spending like wisely. Can’t just like sit down on the couch watching tv all the time because like, you know, you’re not gonna have that time back. So, I guess it just changed my mindset on like how to use my time.
Ebube: I like both answers, I really did. For me, I have not changed at all. I know that for a fact, I have not changed. Moving on to question two, how were you able to survive the pandemic and, like you know what got you through it?
Jared: How I was able to survive? Uhm. I’ll say during the lockdown I was just watching Anime, and just like sort of the first question. I was like reading and watching anime. Just doing, trying to find new things that I enjoy and like to expand my interest. And then, when Walmart came, I just kept working and working, doing a corporate job. So yeah.
Ebube: Donald?
Donald: So for me it would just, baking kept me sane the whole pandemic. And back then, like my cousin, who came from Nigeria, was living at my house with her newborn child, so they can couldn’t fly out to Nigeria, so they were stuck with like you know in our house for like until like in September.
So I was always like cooking and baking, cause you know why not? You know like it was crazy because you know, I don’t know how to survive this whole pandemic, to be honest. I don’t know how. Like it’s crazy, cause I wake up in the morning, watch tv, shower, take a nap, watch tv again (take another like), go back to bed at 3 in the morning I’m like watching a whole movie to like 5 in the morning and I’m asleep. It was just wild and crazy. Then I started working so it was like basically work, sleep, eat, work, sleep, eat. That was like my routine and then looking out like all 4 walls in the house. So yeah.
Ebube: This pandemic was no joke you know. But, I mean, this question might actually like as you know I don’t know. So the question is, if you could relive one moment during like the pandemic, what would it be?
Jared: I guess I’ll answer first. if I could live one moment, It’ll be that one time I was like taking it slow and just helping myself, growing in a way like with the hobbies and everything is like figuring like finding myself. You know?
Donald: The question is a no for me.
Jared: Nothing at all?
Donald: Oh, no, none none, neither. no, at all. really and all I’m not joking, the pandemics stressed me out, it was nuts.
Ebube: So Donald, if the pandemic never happened, where do you think you’d be today?
Donald: Oof, dang that’s a good question. I feel like my ex and I wouldn’t have never gotten together, because we got back together like at 3 in the morning when I was bored on my phone, looking through our old messages.
And of course, I call my ex that’s time, you know, and we got back together. I felt like if the pandemic never happened right; I wouldn’t be up at 3 in the morning that night looking through my phone. I feel like I would have been asleep, getting ready for school the next day. So, yeah.
Ebube: So would you say, like the pandemic was like beneficial or not?
Donald: Yes, yes and no, because I so I did go to school, Nigeria, you know. So during the pandemic. I talked to all my friends, back home, you know.
Cause like when it’s like 3 in the morning here, or like 2 in the morning, it’s like bright and early out there you know. So I will literally like talk to them. I’ll call them, you know, and actually like, talk to them. See how life is going. So I thought that that’s the only thing that, like I love about the pandemic, cause you know, it was yeah.
Ebube: I get you. What about you, Jared?
Jared: The last question is that what I was looking for was like self-reflection. So if the pandemic never happened, I won’t be able to like self-reflect and change my mindset about how I view life nowadays.
Donald: That too, self-reflection, cause I thought I thought a lot in pandemic like my mind went like wondered a lot.
Jared: Dang!
Ebube: So I believe you guys already answered the question but I’m just gonna say it just in case. So what is something that you can take away from all that happening? You know, Lockdown, covid, pandemic. What is something that you can take away like you felt like it was a lesson that you know helped you grow?
Donald: Cherish everybody around you. Cherish all your friends and loved ones, because you never know when like last time, you’d like, ever talk to them. That’s what I learned you know.
Cause I couldn’t see my aunt or my uncle. My aunt’s birthday like came up, and like we have to do a zoom birthday, which was like I was allowed what the heck like I was crying because I’m like, you know, she was the kind of hope for a big birthday party.
You know, because my cousin wanted to get married like that weekend, everything shut down, and nobody was counseled. So like it was just, just cherish people you have around you, and, like, you know, talk to them more because you never know when, like you know again, you see them like last.
Ebube: How about you, Jared?
Jared: I agree with Donald but it’s like down like the time for like yourself. Like, I feel like when the pandemic hit, we’re like all busy with work school, you know, repeat and then for like parents, let’s take care of children and work (so like repeat) and then with the pandemic, just like slowed everything down.
Like, it gave people time like have time spend more time with their family, but also like spend time for themselves as well. So I think that’s the good thing we can take out from the pandemic.
Ebube: These are really good answers. Like I really like these answers but like. It kind of just shows how like you guys grew through, like you know, 2020 to 2022. I’m happy for you guys. I’m even happy because I got closer with Jared and I met Donald during the pandemic.
So it was really beneficial. And then one more question for Jared, just for Jared. So the question was like, you know. Remember your mom said she, like, you know, had to switch businesses.
Jared: She didn’t really switch she like added on another job.
Ebube: Oh, so like. How was it like? Was it tough on her like? How did she cope with it?
Jared: Yeah, It was tough on her because she’s a preschool teacher and she had to get her license work with my dad for taxes, and then, like time, like during the pandemic, they extended like the the the tax filing deadline like April all the way to like May and almost to March.
So like, my dad was really packed with my clients, and my mom had to help. And so like that. It was so stressful for both of them that they didn’t have like time to like eat dinner out with us, or like, do much of anything just like you just go behind a computer and work. work. work.
And it had more effect on my sister, because, I feel like she disconnected a little bit from my parents like with this situation like we are in right now like what caused all of what’s happening.
Ebube: We all go through problems. but the best part about going to problems is that there’s always light at the end of the time.
