While the IBCoMagazine team works from home, we plan to keep the blog busy with new content to keep you occupied during this period of quarantine. Today’s blogpost was written by our lovely photographer and videographer, Vitalii Zharinov. Enjoy!
At the end of January, when I was reading an article on an “unknown disease that has already affected hundreds of people in the Chinese city of Wuhan”, I really wasn’t expecting it to paralyze the whole world in around 2 months. But here we are, stuck inside of our homes for an uncertain period of time. Many people are back in their home cities or countries, and some, like me, have stayed in Rotterdam, spectating the daily emptiness of the Woudestein campus. Today after a morning run I was caught by Erasmus Magazine in Hatta Building, and they asked for a quick interview with me. One of the questions was something like “aren’t you bored here during quarantine?” Bored? Hell no, not happening. We are not wasting any of this precious time. Have you been meaning to read that one book, or watch that one course, but never had the time? I know you do, and you have 0 excuses. Come along this journey with me and I hope I can inspire you to act immediately.
How not to get bored during the following 3 weeks? These are my plans and recommendations inspired by the sunny quarantine days in Rotterdam.
- Finish all of your university work. When quarantine ends (hopefully), you come back to uni without any new deadlines and readings to catch up with. My friends at EUR know I am a big fan of doing everything weeks in advance, but even if such an idea sounds wild to you, TRY IT. You will feel so much freedom afterward.
- Enroll in online courses. How many times have you seen Skillshare ads on the Internet? And how many times have you visited their website to see what they offer? Now is the time. At the moment, I am completing a scriptwriting course, which I started watching during Christmas break, but I just had no time to finish it. Nevertheless, with so much free time I can finally dive into full creator mode so that I could accomplish one of my goals for 2020 – making my first ever short film. Stay tuned:)
- Do sports. If it is still legal to leave your house, go for a quick run, or just walk around to see the beauty of your empty city. Otherwise, you can do different exercises at home while jamming your favorite music in the background. Remember: doing sports usually makes you leave your comfort zone, so if you feel like it doesn’t help you physically, it does help you psychologically – in terms of self-discipline and distraction from daily life.
- Dedicate time to yourself. Let’s not forget about relaxing during these tough times. I cannot imagine how many different things you can do at home in 3 weeks. Reflect on yourself – where have you succeeded, where were you a bit down, what do you want to change, what new things do you want to take up? Watch some movies, play table games with friends, clean up at home, reorganize your room, think of future plans, set your goals, spend time with your loved ones. Take your time, you have so much of it. Also, head over to soap2day.is. Thank me later:)
- IBCoMagazine. Read our blog and issues, check our social media for exclusive content. Meanwhile, we are doing our best to cope with the situation. We have a lot of new content and a video coming soon!
To wrap up my first ever blog post, here is a sincere message to you. Stay at home, look after your health, but don’t waste your time under any circumstance. What you postponed for tomorrow, do it today. What you have dreamed of for years, do it now. Don’t rush and stay calm. All of us face crisis periods in our lives, so we have to make the best out of these situations. Life goes on.
Author: Vitalii Zharinov
Editor: Kat Nivera