There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed our daily life -- perhaps even forever. Remote learning has become the norm, we do most of our shopping online, and try our best to be at our safest place: home. Under the circumstance of having to spend most of our time at home (or dormitory), I started to wonder how the people in KDI School have been spending their time. Fortunately, I was able to find people who have been spending their time quite productively at home.

1. TikTok (KURNIAWAN, Leo Ardhi, 2019 MPP)
Staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic has made us feel bored and isolated from our beloved friends, and even family (mostly for those living separately from their family). As a student at KDI School, I am also living apart from my family. During this challenging time, we cannot really go outside often and one of the activities that I choose is to do is to use TikTok, one of the social media applications. I browse it as my kind of ‘killing time’ activity, mostly when there is free time or break time after studying. Using TikTok is fun because it can boost my mood, refresh my mind, and inspire me creatively. Making a TikTok video is simple -- you just need your phone, install the app, and then you can use the features on it and play around with it with your own creativeness. Each video on TikTok is no longer than 60 seconds, but we can find many interesting and useful things for our lives. So, let’s spread love and goodness to our surroundings!

2. Family time (KIM, Sira, 2020 MDP)
My parents, who immigrated to Vietnam several years ago, are now in Korea living with me. They actually came to Korea in January for a short trip, but have now ended up stuck in Korea due to COVID-19. They have been in Korea for five months now, and it is their first time to visit Korea in more than ten years. Although it is a situation that has put us into the condition where we have no choice but to live together, I personally find this time to be invaluable. I have always dreamed of a time I could live with parents since I was 20 when I separated from my parents and started living in Korea with only my sister. For some people, spending time with their family might just be a part of ordinary daily life, but for me, I feel very fortunate that we can have dinner every day together, read books, or even watch movies at home as a family. I never knew this time would bring me such happiness to me!!

3. Cooking (OCTAVIANA, Mas Ayu Nila Anggraini, 2019 MPP)
Cooking is a great way to spend time at home. Since the very beginning of my study in Korea, I have seldom eaten outside the dormitory. I try as much as I can to have home-made meals because it is not easy to get Halal food in Korea. Luckily, KDI School has a kitchen in the dormitory with all the utensils I need. During the special days of the month of Ramadan and the festivals, like Idul El-Fitr, some students from Indonesia and Malaysia cook and have meals together. We usually cook ‘rendang’, ‘opor ayam’, ‘soto ayam’, and others as our main dish and ‘bakso’, ‘siomay’, ‘pempek’, and others as our snacks. This year is my second year I am away from family and every time I cook, it reminds me of my little daughter helping me in the kitchen and having meals together. Still, I am thankful to have my wonderful friends here in Korea who I can spend time with. Cooking really helps me endure these stressful times due to the pandemic because we can talk, share, and care for each other while cooking and eating.

4. Reading (ANYAMUTAKU, Adaollisa, 2020 MIPD)

Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting ongoing online lectures, books have provided an avenue for relaxation and escape from the realities around me. I find myself staring at the screen most of the time; either attending a class or working on the numerous assignments we have at KDI School. Reading a book helps me to relax my eyes and my mind. Currently, I am reading a book called "The Accidental President." It is a biography of Harry S. Truman''s time as the President of the United States in 1945, and it provides interesting insights into the activities that led to the end of World War II. It is a must-read for anyone interested in international relations, diplomacy, and conflict resolution, so I highly recommend this book to everyone at KDI School! You can simply borrow it from the library after me! Remember, we have tons of books available at the library. Why don’t you take this as an opportunity to accumulate new knowledge?

There is a saying by Thomas Fuller, “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” I hope everyone from KDI School finds this period of the time valuable rather than getting tired of staying home. Take a step ahead and look back on how we used to spend our time. Didn’t we carelessly exploit the things that shouldn’t be taken for granted? Let us be grateful for what we are given and try to use this period of time to the fullest as this too shall pass.