WHAT DID COVID DO TO ME? - JADA

2020 has been somewhat of an unreal year. 

I struggled to say goodbye to it - for words do not suffice.
Time became distorted in it, where it flew by and at the same time stood still.
There were days when I felt stronger and so hopeful as I confronted all the challenges and the possibilities that they brought.
And days when I felt so weak, so confused by the sufferings around the world, and so unmotivated I couldn’t get out of bed.
Yes, I did achieved much more than I expected. But I also started asking a lot of questions.
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Earlier this year, as I shared about launching an exhibition and my vision to bring inspiration and healing to our city, I was told: this is the time to think about survival, about making real contributions like donating masks. It’s not time to talk about inspiration and art.
In many ways, it’s true.
But I looked around. 
This city’s filled with fear, triggered but not caused by COVID.
When questioned, I tell them: I chose to go forth in the face of increasing challenges - because this is the time we need inspiration, resonance and art the most.
And ultimately, love.

Nothing has more power to open minds and hearts than such, and to connect us with other people’s pain and beauty.
The changes we really need can’t be forced, they have to be inspired. 
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What we need, yes in many ways, are masks.
But what we REALLY need, is compassion - a heart to love on people, to understand their pain, and to be a light in this world that is so harsh and cold.
What we need is healing - within ourselves, within our city, within our species. 
And to walk this journey to restoration together.

Survival is not a meaningful ending. 
LIFE IS.
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As my year ended on a heavy note, and as my journey collides with those who are suffering deeply, I pondered on the thought of suffering. 
As many questions are left unanswered, I’m grateful for the opportunities to walk into my calling in 2020, as my convictions and mission became even clearer for 2021.
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2021. 
We may not be able to do this alone, but let us carry each other together.
Not just to survive. But to heal, to hope, and to love.
One breath at a time.

This is my heart.

WHAT DID COVID DO TO ME? - CHARLOTTE
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I am a luxury travel adviser and run my family business, Charlotte Travel.
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When the borders closed, I didn’t think much of it, thinking it would be temporary.
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Little did we know that the world would shut down.
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As a firm believer in human connections and education through travel, my goal is to expose people to travel experiences and to see the beauty in this world.
2020 has just been the opposite - ugly & negative.
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The reality is, I was devastated.
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First to suffer, last to recover. That’s what they say about the travel industry.
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Despite all the obvious challenges with business and keeping our team, my mentor and business partner (AKA my mum), always finds a way to lift me from darkness.
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Although having been in the travel industry all her life and has experienced everything under the sun to hit the industry in negative ways, she has remained positive and passionate.
She said to me - life will always throw you challenges and I'm not going to lie, this could be your biggest one ever.
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But if you can tackle this, you can literally do anything.
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I am a control freak in every shape and form so the realisation to be less 'in control' was hard to overcome.
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I'm a planner so when the world is in a state where you can't really plan, I've had to learn to let go and really live a week at a time.
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Learning to work a day at a time but a week will do for now haha as I continue to grow and adapt.

WHAT DID COVID DO TO ME? - TRIXIE
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I am a fitness instructor.
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The mandatory closure of our studio was scary to us. There were a lot of financial setbacks and we simply don’t know when it’s going to end.
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At the beginning, we were clueless.
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But as we slowly got the hang of it, we needed to do something about it. Just because we had to close our studio doesn't mean we just wait for the reopening dates to be announced.
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Luckily, we are not that restricted in HK.
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We learnt to find ways around things, e.g. carrying weights to the park to train people. It was harder but we worked to make it work.
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We also finally launched our youtube channel - something we have always planned to do but never got round to it because we were too busy. It was a good time to launch whilst everyone stayed home.
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One thing that turned out to be beautiful for me this year - was being able to speed more time with Lexie (my baby daughter) and creating more memories with her as a family. Just because the world is shutting down doesn’t stop beautiful memories from being created with your favourite people.

WHAT DID COVID DO TO ME? - ROBYN
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In a blink of an eye, a 6-day holiday in Krabi turned into more than 6 months when we were left marooned here as a result of Thailand’s national lockdown.
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It was tough at the beginning to be away from our family and friends in HK, especially for our son Kyle, who has not been apart from his grandmother (my mother) for more than a single day since he was born.
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As Thailand’s reopening was delayed again and again, it was very upsetting and frustrating, especially for a renowned control freak like myself.
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But with time, I decided to make a conscious decision to simply shift my mindset and focus on the present, and what is within my control. Frankly, that took a great deal of effort.
But once we put our minds to it, we settled into a calmer routine.
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Life was simple, for once, without all the frenetic schedules and social obligations that I have in HK (I’m quite a bit of a social butterfly haha). There were barely any distractions except the lizards that slide by or the giant hermit crabs that scramble across the sand next to you.
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I truly experienced what tranquillity means. It was nothing short of extraordinary. Surprisingly, I actually thrived.
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So did my son, who had the opportunity to experience a living naturalist lesson and took a liking to the thai language.
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Is this an ideal situation we are in? Of course not. Our new normal is anything but normal.
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But as I learnt to shift my perspective and focus on making the best out of what I can control, I experienced gratitude.

WHAT DID COVID DO TO ME? - CLARICE
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I am a mother of two beautiful little girls. Like every mother, I wish to give my girls the best and happiest childhood they could ever have. But little did I know that our world will be turned upside down on Mother’s Day last year.

Our younger daughter Arielle was diagnosed with Steroid Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome. It is a kidney disorder that does not have any cure and may lead to kidney failure as she grows older.

It was hard watching our daughter go through so much pain and being on strong medication. I felt so helpless not being able to protect her from this disease. We went through a lot of grief and anger because no matter what we do, Arielle’s disease won’t go away.

It was a great reminder that health is not given. We witnessed many young patients with incurable diseases & some with domestic violence issues going in and out of our ward during our stay. It made me realize that instead of focusing on the negativity, I should focus on how blessed we are.

With that in mind, we started counting our blessings - the fact Arielle’s in good hands, she’s loved by all the doctors, nurses, and her family. COVID measures had also given us the space & time to focus on Arielle’s treatment and our time together as a family. Every new blessing we counted would suddenly make us see the beauty in this world despite going through this hardship.

We were also touched by the many acts of kindness by our friends and the medical staff at the hospital. They may be small but every little bit brought light in the dark. Every word of encouragement brought warmth. The kindness and love that was shown to us during this time helped us heal and deal with our grief. We aren’t alone.

Arielle is currently still battling the disease. We don’t know if she will ever get better, but we will never stop trying. One thing is for sure though, it is times like these that will make you appreciate love more. So don’t hesitate to reach out to a friend in need, a simple message would make a world of difference.

Never underestimate the power of love.