Asia was the first part of the world that was hit with the Virus that started in China. I decided to start this series with the responses from those on that continent. The countries I managed to get responses from are; Pakistan, Philippines (x2), Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi AND NOT FORGETTING INDIA!!

I think its important to mention here that these are all real people who are not experts , they are discussing their real lives and they are simply answering the questions I asked. Those questions were;

1. Briefly introduce yourself, where in the world you are and who you are locked down with.

2. How has this experience impacted you and your daily life?

3. What is the general feeling of the lockdown situation in your part of the world?

4. What are you doing to stay positive/active in this weird time?

5. What are you missing most from ‘normal life’ and what will be the first thing you do when this is all over?

Also, English might not be the first language of these amazing people, so please be nice if there are (and there are some) grammatical mistakes throughout this series. Being able to speak more than one language is amazing so no hate!!!

Without further ado, lets get started!

Bhumie, Mumbai, India

Hey, am Bhumie Vira from India. Am a teenager studying in high school. In this pandemic I am locked
down with my family- In india we have joint families – I got Grandfather, grandmother, dad, mom, aunt (my dads sister) and myself (am the youngest and pampered till spoilt) safely locked in, in our
cosy home here in Mumbai city.

Though I missed my regular routine, I have experienced an amazing
feeling of togetherness and love. Usually all are so busy in their daily lives, though 6 people in a house we used to rarely get time to sit together or talk to each other. But now though there is uncertainty, anxiety, fear outside- our house is filled with chit chats, prayers, laughter, board games, trying new food recipes, going through family pictures etc..

This lockdown has taught me few important things: Not to take things for granted, health is priority, appreciate what you have and that i can survive on one-third of my pocket money 😉 😉
I wish things to normalise fast- but then am gonna miss this family time

The daily lives of people around has become full of fear and tension.

People are worried cause their work is being effected, people have lost
their jobs, family incomes have reduced. But yes people do understand
that safety is most important thing today- Prayers, positivity and support has kept the citizens going.
People are helping each other, we know we all are in this together- so we stand by each other and we would get through this also.

The news are really scary and they leave me more stressed out. So i try and avoid rumours and focus on my studies (our regular classroom lectures are replaced by online lectures) , I love to read, skate around the house, play guitar, listen to music, I love painting. In this time of uncertainty, I have not missed a single day enjoying the beautiful sunset from my window- sunsets are proofs that no matter
how stressful your day was, it always ends beautifully.

Am missing my school, a big shout-out to my friends out there. Once things normalise I would be out shopping…… (i have saved a lot of pocket money… and am gonna buy a load of stuff 😉

You can follow Bhumie on her Instagram accounts:

• https://www.instagram.com/tinytubelight/
• https://www.instagram.com/bhumievira/

Aliza, Karachi Pakistan

I’m from Pakistan and we have been locked down for three months. I’m gladly with my family and so not have to deal with a lot of problems. Both my University and workplace require me to stay connected via emails and conference calls.

I work as a teacher and freelance content writer. Besides, I blog at Instagram and attend my masters classes in evening.

It has a huge impact on myself and daily routine. I find it a little hard to work and study from home. I miss being around my colleagues, students and friends. They have always helped me to refresh myself every time.

People are not taking it seriously. They are politicising the issue and believe that it may take them to starvation soon. Here we have more than half of the people belonging to lower middle class and they are the ones who are suffering badly due to this lockdown.

I try to keep myself busy. I think this is the best time to give read to all the books which are waiting for me for long. Besides, I write and feel liberating and connected with the world.

Hanging out with friends. I miss seeing them a lot. I miss eating out as well. I will surely be meeting them as soon as it gets over.

Also I realise that without human beings the beauty of nature has no meanings. It is human for all this beautiful nature has been created and I’m sure it awaits for us too. I would like you to include following two posts that I made especially for these tough days.

You can check out Aliza on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alizashakil/

Hazel, Manilla, Philippines

I’m Hazel, the lifestyle and travel blogger behind Hazy Wanders. Currently, I’m locked down at home with my parents and brother. We live in the Philippines. 

Honestly, the whole “stay at home” thing is not new to me since I’ve been working from home since late last year. So most of the time, I’m really just at home. The only difference is that now I can’t go freely outside and I can’t visit loved ones anytime, anywhere.

The Philippine government implemented some strict guidelines during the Lockdown, or “enhanced community quarantine” as we name it here. There are curfews, no mass gatherings, you can’t go out of your house without a pass, etc. Police and military ensure that these rules are enforced and you can be fined or put to jail if you don’t follow. At first it was okay since all of these can help stop the spread of the virus.

But as days, weeks, months have gone by, people are starting to feel the negative impact. It’s kind of depressing to know people don’t have enough food and money during Lockdown. Many Filipinos are greatly affected, especially daily wage earners who don’t have any income now. Business owners feel the impact too as they have to be shut down during Lockdown. It really sucks to see the economy go down as well since everything is interconnected.

As much as possible, I stick to a regular routine to keep some normalcy in my life. So after work, I go straight to workout with my friends via Zoom (it’s so fun and we keep each other motivated!). Also, I try new recipes if I see something interesting/yummy online.

I miss the feeling of NOT being afraid to go outside and not having to wear face mask and sanitise my hands all the time like a crazy woman. Haha! I miss the outdoors! I want to travel after this pandemic is over. Maybe air travel will be out of the picture for now, so maybe a road trip would be more doable. 

Be sure to connect with Hazel on her socials:

• BLOG: https://hazywanders.com/
• INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/hazywanders
• FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/hazywanders
• TWITTER: https://twitter.com/hazywanders
• PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/hazywanders
  

Loria, Hong Kong

My name is Loria! I am a friendly and outgoing extrovert. I enjoy meeting new people and exploring new places (not yet in travelling cause no money HAHAHA but stay cays are just as great!) and I love going out for afternoon tea. I’m from the Philippines, but I am residing in Hong Kong. I am currently locked down with my family: My Mom, Dad and my younger sister.

I would say it impacted my life in a positive way: I get to stay home more often, which means I get to spend more time with my family. I also get to rest  more than usual because honestly, before this lockdown, I’m usually out and about (either work or having lunch / dinner with friends).

With this lockdown, it feels like a time to fully reflect on my friendship, family and my future; preparing me for the real world.

It’s a mixture of feelings here really. Some are still afraid to go around while others. Just couldn’t wait to get out!

Currently, I just keep myself busy at home by watching my favourite TV series: The Simpsons. I also watch other cartoons like Regular Show and Disenchantment. Besides this, I plan out my content for IG and come up with different ideas (photoshoot-worthy places around the house, I normally use the balcony or the sofa) and dance workouts. Oh! I would also have mini afternoon tea time with my sister (she bakes butter cookies and I just prep us some tea :3) At night, my family and I would either play Monopoly or Boggle.

Besides prepping content for my Instagram (because that account mainly focuses on fashion and lifestyle) I also work on my personal blog with my aim to spread motivation, positivity and entertainment through parts of my life.

Well, I miss hanging out with friends and being able to go around places without having to worry about not wearing a mask or bring bottles of hand sanitisers around (it makes my bag heavier than usual). I also miss having to eat wherever I want (especially afternoon tea!!!)

You can follow Loria here:

• BLOG: https://loriaelisespcs.wixsite.com/vanillaccinotogo/
• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/izdahhcrazygurrl/

Nada, Abu Dhabi

I’m Nada, born and raised in Abu Dhabi. I’m currently living and working there. I’m in lockdown with my family.

I’m usually a very active person, hardly home. I’m always out and about. My day starts with going to work, relaxing with a good book afterwards till it’s time for my Zumba class or Spanish. Hanging out with friends, checking out new places, attending intellectual events, shopping and going to the movies.

We are allowed to go out but only for important stuff. There are no leisure places open. No one is allowed to be outside during Lockdown hours which is usually after dark till morning.

I am busying myself with activities, like starting a journal. I’m become more active on my Instagram page, reading and talking about books. I’m also encouraging others to do the same. I do also try to go about my normal activities but at home. Like for example, I still try to conduct Zumba classes online.

I always keep saying that the first thing I’ll do is spend the day with my friends at the beach. I miss being out in the sun and I miss the water.

You can follow Nada on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/africaanah/

Zia, Cavite, Philippines

I’m Zia Faye, 23 from the Philippines. A science teacher in secondary high school and a youth pastor in born again Christian church. The lockdown started in our country in March. I’m with my mother when this happens, she’s 55 years old by the way.

Honestly, it doesn’t affect my routine at all except to the fact that I need to stop my teaching job and going to church because of lockdown. Since I’m an introvert, I don’t really enjoy going out and to socialise for a long time so staying at home is not a problem for me. However, it still saddens me because it really feels different. I can’t go out whenever I want too, it’s difficult to buy anything due to transport limitation, and dating is not possible.

Poor people in our country are the most affected because most of them are street vendors, public transportation drivers, contractual and seasonal employees. The help from the government is not enough to sustain their food alone because most of them have big families to feed and the budget is limited. On the other hand, people from the middle class are also suffering because of NO WORK NO PAY arrangement of their employers. Also, I hate to say this but some Filipinos are stubborn, instead of obeying the government instructions they rally and rant on social media but I can’t blame them because they are just trying to survive in this pandemic.

I realised that instead of wasting my time in my social media for nothing why not use it to do my passion. Thus, I reactivate my beauty channel and do vlogs again, and I started using my Instagram account to do product reviews for skincare. Above all, I always attend our online church fellowship every afternoon on weekdays and every morning on weekends.

I miss doing road trips and a long drive with my fiance. I also miss going to church so for sure after this is over I’ll go straight to our church to celebrate. A corona virus-free Earth is the only thing that I pray for and when this happens I’ll be grateful to the Lord.

You can connect with Zia here:

• INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/mpratrees
• YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/c/ZiaFaye

I want to say another huge thank you to all these amazing people from Asia for their time!
I hope you enjoyed this first part of the Lockdown from Around the World Series, come back tomorrow for the next part in the series!

Stay Safe, Stay Home

INTRO . OCEANIA . AFRICA . EUROPE . UNITED KINGDOM . THE AMERICAS . USA