What has the lockdown in the United Kingdom taught me

The Covid-19 pandemic gave me the opportunity to pause for a moment and reflect on my life, realising what matters to me and recognising who has my back. Initially, I stayed in Sheffield as I was going to start volunteering in the hospitals, however, the medical school has later announced they want us to prioritise our studies and that they do not want to put us at risk. Since my flatmates had already gone home, I offered a friend of mine to move in with me as she was facing financial difficulties. I am incredibly grateful for those three weeks I lived with her in Sheffield – we witnessed the completely empty Sheffield, closed shops and how toilet paper and pasta were more valuable than gold. What an Easter! (Note: This was actually my first Easter spent in the UK.)

A few weeks later, my boyfriend’s family picked me up in Sheffield and drove me over to their home – somewhat, it felt like a rescue mission. At theirs, we celebrated the Victory in Europe Day which was absolutely new to me – we watched Winston Churchill’s speech on the TV, prepared a traditional English afternoon tea with homemade Victoria sponge cake, scones and all types of finger sandwiches. By the way, did you know that one of the most traditional English sandwiches is the cucumber sandwich? All these deserts were served with a freshly brewed pot of tea and whole milk (as you can see in the photograph below). We ended the day by singing the war song “We’ll Meet Again”. A few days after that, it was my birthday. My boyfriend made a surprise dinner, the Vietnamese noodle soup “pho” which is my favourite meal ever and my parents sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. 

Last week, I came back to Sheffield to pack and move my things as the house rent was coming to an end. What I did not realise, was that I also had to pack and ship back things for my two flatmates who could not return to the UK. I thought my third flatmate would help me but I was wrong… It was a very stressful week as I was juggling university duties in between of packing for three people at the same time. Due to Covid-19, our hospital placements were temporarily cancelled and all teachings were moved to online platforms. I have had the neurology, paediatrics and currently obstetrics and gynaecology modules delivered by the modes of live tutorials, pre-recorded lectures and other online resources. The Medical School is doing their best to provide us with the best materials possible, but nothing beats learning from actual patients.

I also moved my things to a storage unit and I shall see them in three months’ time, when I will be moving them to London (more about that in my next blogpost). I am currently fully engaged in online learning of obstetrics and gynaecology because my academic year ends at the beginning of August. At the same time, I am trying to find new hobbies, e.g. I started learning how to use Photoshop! Covid-19 has undoubtedly changed my plans for 2020, but I am determined to get the most out of this time and I am greatly thankful for the continuous support from my parents, friends and the Kellner Family Foundation who keep believing in me and helped me throughout this academic year, including the pandemic.