How has your life changed?
I am a house maker and a mother of two sons at the age of 8th and 11th. Besides, I am a student. I go to a language school three times a week. While my sons go to school, I enjoy learning English. My favorite class is a conversation class. To make a conversation with other learner is very impressive. However, My life has changed a lot since COVID 19. All schools are closed, including libraries. My son’s school is closed and starts distance learning. We have to stay at home and help my sons with their distance learning. This is absolutely challenging for all of my family members. We were stressed out much for the first couple of weeks. But we have got adjusted little by little.
Who are you spending time with lately?
We have been keeping our routines: getting up at 7:30, eating breakfast, and taking a short walk around my house to get morning sunshine. Then we start learning and quiet time until noon. During my son’s learning time, I do my housework or go shopping. I also have an ESL learning club twice a week in the morning. In the evening, I teach Japanese literacy to my sons for an hour every day. After 5pm, I take my sons outside like a Central Park or Skate park, my apartment swimming pool to do excise. Almost every weekend, my family goes hiking nearby. After going for a hike, we drop in our favorite ice cream shop to get one. As we cannot eat out, we enjoy ice cream in the car on the way back. That is my life.
What emotions have you had?
I feel so depressed about this situation. My family can stay in America for only three years due to my husband’s job. So I already spent a year. I have only two years more. If the situation lasts long, our stay in the USA will be ruin.
What would you tell yourself in January of this year?
If I have a time machine and use it going back to the past in January or December, I wish I would have been to Monument Valley. My family planned to travel around Arizona and an Indian reservation, which is located in Monument Valley. I was so excited to go there to see American desert scenic land. I spend a lot of time making an itinerary and making reservations of hotels. I was full of excitement. However, my plan was put out due to The COVID 19. Who can expect the situation? Therefore I would have told me to go on the trip before COVID 19 was spread. Besides, I would have told myself to be calm and act thoughtfully when COVID 19 came. In reality, I was disappointed and too scared of the spread all over the world. Information about COVID 19 was flooded in my SMS and TV. It was too hard to read everything and challenging to understand the words related to the new virus. I just didn’t know how to react. The best thing that I could go back to the last, I wanted to beg Wuhun area shut down as soon as possible. Then it might not have spread all over the world. Because there are role models, like New Zealand or Taiwan. Those countries are under control because of prompt reaction to the shut down of their countries. I can’t do anything but follow the government rule for the prevention of infection right now. I really want to live a normal life.
Submitted by Eri Kikuta, Santa Clara County – Santa Clara.