I can’t think of the right words to describe my feelings right now about what’s happening around the world. I can’t think straight anymore.  I am greatly affected.  I admit that and this is the effect.  I am drained. I am confused.  I am stressed. I am really sad.

This is why I wrote this blog to express how I truly feel at the moment.  I wanted to share this because I know that everyone of us feel the same way too.

I am a single parent of two daughters and I am living with my mother who is a senior citizen.  During this time, I am presently working in my office despite the virus that continues to rapidly spread across the country. What should we do now to fight this virus?  This is always the question I raised to myself.  How are we going to survive this crisis?

Everyday, I always have to drag myself to go out and work.  Though we have been given an option to have our flexi schedule such as working 3 times a week to implement “social distancing”.  This can be pretty helpful in preventing the spread of COVID-19.  However, it scares me to go home from work as I have my daughter and my mom.  My mother is already 72 years old and she has a heart ailment with hypertenion.  She has been taking meds for her heart.  It worries me that I have to go to work and then go home afterwards.

I have been following the proper steps on what to do once you get home.  Before I go inside our house, I have to wash my face, arms, hands and feet. I have to wash my shoes as well.  I rinsed my uniform then used a hair dryer to blower my hair, neck, arms and my nose  (this was advised to me by my cousin who happens to be a nurse) I was told that the heat coming out from the blower can kill the virus.  Then once I get inside, I don’t go to my mother’s room directly but just wave at her and same goes to my daughter.

Honestly, I missed hugging my mother when I come home.  I really wanted to do that but because of this crisis, I just have to prevent myself and think of my mother’s welfare.  It’s also the same feeling when I see my youngest daughter.  I missed kissing her on the forehead and the cheek like I used to.  It deeply saddens me that we have to keep a distance from our loved ones.  But then again, I began to think how harder this was for those who are in the medical field like the doctors and nurses who can’t go home to their families because they are taking care of patients expose to the virus.  I can’t imagine not going home and seeing your families.  That means a lot of sacrifice but it’s their line of work.

I have some health issues now since I have asthma and highblood of which I have been taking my medicines daily.  When I was in college, I was hospitalized due to bronchial asthma. That’s why I have been worrying so much because it has been said that those who have a history of these ailments will be susceptible to the virus.  The only thing that keeps me to think positively is that I have a blood type O.  Having this blood type is a good thing because according to the expert, the person is not vulnerable to CORONAVIRUS compared to those who have blood type A.  But whether this is true or not (I surely hope so), the important thing is to always observe the washing of hands and using alcohol or sanitizers.  I am taking vitamin C daily aside from my other medicines.

As soon as we heard about the enhanced community quarantine to be implemented in our city, everyone panicked.  I am one of them too because I am thinking how on earth will I get the budget for a month supply of food and medicines for my family.  There were a lot of things going on in my mind that time.  I tried to calm myself and think of a strategy on how to deal with this without compromising the needs and health of my family.

These past few days after the declaration of the lockdown of our city, I have been having sleepless nights because I feel uneasy.  Negative thoughts somehow disturbed me in my sleep.  There are times that I suddenly feel emotional but I am trying to suppress it and reminding myself that this too shall pass.

Despite the biggest challenge we are now facing in our City, I am so proud of our fellow Dabawenyos who are always ready to be of service to other people like providing food to our frontliners, doctors, nurses and other medical staff at SPMC who are dedicated to work in order to save lives. Kuddos to these generous resto owners Chef Patrick Co of The Fat Cow, Beko’s Kitchen and others. They provided food to the COVID frontliners at SPMC, PNP and AFP personnels.

 

 

 

 

I am grateful also to those who provided masks for the hospital staff. There are also those offering free rides. The government also provided buses for government employees and medical staff of SPMC. We are still blessed. And for all of us who are staying in the house with our families, we will pray for them always. We will win this battle for sure because we are all in this together. This is temporary. God is with us.

 

 

Some malls in Davao City are also greatly supported the implementation of community quarantine. I saw this scenario outside Gaisano Grand Citygate Mall Buhangin. All of the shoppers/mall goers are required to wash their hands before going inside. So they waited patiently for their turn.

 

 

 

 

I also admire what the NCCC owners/ management did to highly prevent the spreading of COVID-19 in the City. The senior citizens were prioritized early in the morning as they were allowed to enter the grocery store of NCCC Mall Buhangin before the mall opens. While other customers were waiting patiently in line outside. As our time came, we had been told to sit down for awhile applying the “social distancing” act. They have seats available for all of us but it did not take a long time. Everyone followed the system and it’s a good thing because with this kind of act, it can go a long way to help save lives. That matters most.

 

 

 

It is a good thing that we as government employees adhere to the policies of our beloved Mayor Inday Sara because we know and understand that this is for our own good. We waited in line before entering the City Hall building to have our temperature checked and required us to use alcohol or wash our hands. This will be the daily scenario to ensure that all employees are being monitored. And strictly there will be no visitors/vendors allowed to go inside anymore.

             Sharing these important sayings from the priest I heard and saw on television that somehow comforted me during this difficult time and may also remind us that we should not lose hope:

=” Ang paglayo natin sa isa’t isa ay pansamantala lamang hindi ibig sabihin na nandidiri tayo sa iba or umiiwas or dahil sa takot kundi dahil sa pagmamahal. Pinaparamdam tayo ng kauhawan sa Diyos. Pag natapos na itong crisis, sa unang araw ng Misa natin mapupuno ang simbahan at aawit tayo ng. ” Bayan Tayo’y Magtipon.” Sa ngayon, disiplina muna ang kailangan. Katulad ng Sabado de Gloria, we feel the emptiness right now so that we will desire for the fullness. Ito ang tunay na kwaresma, maramdaman natin ang kawalan at tayo ay mauuhaw sa Diyos.  The worst of times bring out the best in us and “WE ARE AT OUR BEST WHEN WE ARE CLOSEST TO GOD”.

 

Last night as I was watching television,  there was a short message from doctors and nurses in the United States begging people to stay home.  I was touched by the stories they shared as they have their own families too.  Tears suddenly welled up in my eyes because I realized that this should really be taken seriously and these frontliners sacrificed a lot in order to take care of those patients affected.

Now, we don’t know for sure when this will end.  But I hope it to be as soon as possible.  We hope and pray to God that we will be given a lot of strength and courage to face this pandemic Coronavirus.  We have to be responsible for ourselves because if not we can’t take good care of our families.  That’s why if we want to save lives, let us just stay home and be with our family.  How about you? Are you doing the same thing?

#Stayhomesavelives #FIGHTCOVID-19 #communityquarantine