How are you finding being stuck at home for weeks on end - enjoying the peace and quiet, or feeling imprisoned?
TVNZ’s Re: asked New Zealanders how they are coping with lockdown and if they can bear it being extended. They spoke with students, a teacher, parents, working professionals and a business owner about how lockdown has impacted them.
Some have grown attached to home. Others don’t know how much longer they can last.
LOVE IT: I LIKE BEING STUCK AT HOME
Sakina Ali, 17: lockdown makes it easier to study
Sakina is studying architecture and says completely remote learning gives her an opportunity to do things at her own pace that her normal routine didn’t. “I've probably been even more productive. I have a lot of my resources and materials at home, so I don't feel like I'm being let down by a lack of access to uni.”
Lucy Drake, 22: less time on the road, more time to myself
“I am not missing having to commute to work for an hour every day. This lockdown has been amazing for my bank account and for my poor car. I have loved spending more time with my dog and just being able to have more time in the mornings and evenings to take care of my body and health without spending two hours on the road.”
Sofia Wolf, 23: coping well as a teacher during lockdown
“For me personally I am sweet as. For the children who are engaging everyday and completing tasks and have the support of their whānau they will be sweet too, because essentially they are getting 1:1 support instead of 1:27. But for the children that are difficult to reach or with whānau who are working they will be the ones who are losing out. So for their sake I hope level 4 doesn't last too long.”
Manoj Rathod, 50: it gives me more time for myself
“I like it. It allows me to take a break from the rat race and slow down and enjoy small things in life. There's no travel time, so there is more time to rest and focus more on my health.”
Emily Ferguson, 28: I love what the lockdown has done for my family
“We have had more meals together, have bonded over baby being in the house, celebrated my mum and sister-in-law’s birthdays during rāhui, and just increased the amount of time we’ve spent together, as all of us are in the house at the same time rather than coming and going all the time as we usually would.”
“It has also made me realise how much I buy and do that isn’t necessary. Oh the money savings during this rāhui!”
HATE IT: GET ME OUT
Alexandra Groves, 23: motivation and creativity are at an all-time low during lockdown
“Because I am studying online, I am finding it incredibly difficult to be inspired or even be interested by my work. It’s so important to bounce ideas of one another, but that kind of natural flow of ideas and conversation doesn’t work as effectively over email.”
Heath Anderson, 39: the added pressure of homeschooling means family are struggling
“Our children have struggled. We can’t give them the attention they need during the working week, and they are finding social isolation very difficult. Both of them are missing friends, family, outings and normal life.”
Monique Poirier, 28: desperate to get out of lockdown to save her dance school business
“Obviously, I can’t open in Level 3, so I’m really at a loss at what to do. If we’re in this stage for a while, I don’t know how I’m supposed to sustain things because online learning isn't financially sustainable in the long term. It’s tough.”
This is a cutdown version of this article, for more go to Re: News – renews.co.nz
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