Diary of a day during the COVID-19 pandemic

Given the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic that not just us but the whole world is facing, we are all having bad days locked up at home. However, the issue of health should still be at the forefront. Between fears, loss of lives, isolation, and economic damage, this lockdown period has its positive side as well.

Due to this pandemic, we were able to spend more time with our families, more time to read, and maybe reflect and discover any hidden talent of ours which we were not able to discover due to the busy life we’re leading. While we’re in isolation, housework is something we cannot avoid.

“We keep dirtying clean stuff, and cleaning dirty stuff over and over again, on a daily basis.”

Housework has always been boring, not only during this time in quarantine. Since girls/women have mostly dealt with housework, men and boys have also engaged in housework during this pandemic. Men and boys that have always felt themselves as guests at their own house, have now gotten used to this situation. So, we decided to do it all together. We also shared childcare, and decided who will take care of their clothes and food.

Children have been learning online during quarantine. So fathers have assisted them with the online learning, and also spent time playing with them. Mother had more time to dedicate to herself these days.

The woman has always been the main pillar of the house. Her importance is indescribable and only during these isolation days it came to the center of attention.

During this time in quarantine we did not have a fixed time of eating and sleeping. We ate whenever we felt hunger, not paying attention to whether it was lunchtime or dinnertime. We also stayed up late watching movies or listening to our favorite music.

We used to wake up at eleven or twelve at noon.

We started feeling tired without doing any kind of work. We cannot go out at any time due to the isolation. We must respect the given schedule for moving, otherwise we will get fined. We’re having more and more restrictions. We can go out for food supplies or at the pharmacy during the two available schedules for moving.

I know it is necessary. I understand the reason, but it is a really difficult process.

I keep praying and I tell myself it will soon pass and things will get back to normality. I hope all these restrictions will end soon and I keep thinking what will happen in the future; how long will this situation last?! I try to stay positive, calm down, and enjoy living without the pressure of my daily routine.

This article was written by Alberita Kolgeci, a student in the Department of Social Work in UP under the monitoring of professor Vjollca Krasniqi within the cooperation with SIT. This article was written within the project “Men and Boys as Partners in Promoting Gender Equality and the Prevention of Youth Extremism and Violence in the Balkans”, implemented by CARE International Balkans in partnership with SIT and YMCA in Kosovo and supported by Austrian Development Agency, and Oak Foundation.

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