Life during Pandemic | Change in Routine due to Co-Vid | TicTalkToe

I still remember our trip to Agra-Mathura-Delhi in the first week of March, 2020. We were attending a close friend’s wedding in Mathura when we decided to visit Agra as well. This was our second visit to the City (The first being when I was a week old bride). We wanted to live those memories again, and were enjoying the Agra City tour. Little did we realise that Co-vid had already struck the City. Face Masks had already become common by then, and we were wondering whether to purchase one from the medical shop or not! Our flight to Kolkata was scheduled in the odd wee hours of 4 am in the morning. Delhi Airport was packed with passengers from across the globe. Masks masks everywhere! We still did not realise how our world would change in the next few days.

Our Good Friday extended weekend trip to a nearby Resort to Kolkata was finalised. Bookings were done, and I had specifically insisted for a resort that had a swimming pool. Little did I know that a pandemic was about to disrupt our lives! All our plans for the upcoming vacations had to be stalled!

Sometime in the third week of March, we were anticipating that our visits to office would have to be cut down. Both Domestic and International work related travel stood suspended. Courts were slowly closing down. Courier boys were not longer allowed in the office premises, physical meetings were not allowed in office without prior appointment and disclosure of travel history, food delivery was a strict no-no in office, disposable plates and glasses replaced the usual crockery. We were slowly anticipating that something was about to happen to our usual routine.

Then one day, we realised that venturing out was no longer safe anymore. As it is pretty much with every other couple, this was the first we would be staying together under the same roof for a long time, only that we ourselves did not know how long would that time last! Cutting the long story short, our lives had to go through a lot of changes due to pandemic and we gradually accepted and adjusted our routine to it. Putting down a few pointers below indicating how life changed for us, and how we went about dealing with it. Am sure many of you will be able to relate to this. I am specifically not listing down the daily household chores that we do as we never had a maid, and were entirely self sufficient (thankfully)!

• Days became shorter & nights longer: Thanks to extended working hours and web-series, a routine shift was bound to happen! I started going to bed as late as 2 am and woke up late as well. I know this was a pretty bad practice, nor I am encouraging my Blog readers to follow this 🙂 

• Everything was home cooked: From lip smacking chaat to garma garam samosa, from to chowmein-chilly chicken to mutton biryani, everything was home made. Yes, made with a lot of love! Thank God for YouTube Videos and Blogs. Food was all about “ghar ka khana”, and I was on the verge of uninstalling Swiggy-Zomato!

• Back to Basics: The terrible cyclone Amphan hit West Bengal in May, and several homes got wrecked. Electricity was disrupted, people no longer cared about the pandemic, but helped each other stay afloat! We too survived without electricity for around 72 hours straight (not kidding!). And all this was unannounced. The mobile battery died, but the books stayed on! We sat in the darkness, but had candle light dinner. Dreaming of the fan and air conditioners, we enjoyed the natural breeze on the roof terrace. This was a big lesson for all of us, and together we survived the catastrophe! I suddenly felt as if I was living in a hamlet, all my cooking and cleaning was completed before sunset. We woke up early for the next few days and slept by 10 at night. Life was reduced to living only for the basics.  
• BigBasket – Life Saviour: Many of the beauty apps, Shuttl App, and everything that I used to commute of office was uninstalled. BigBasket was my new buddy. Infact, this deserves to be on top of my list. Had it not been here, I would have surely been a lot more grumpier! BigBasket was pretty new for me. I had shopped from BigBasket only once earlier, to buy a lipstick (Now don’t raise your eyebrows, every makeup addict will relate to this). I had tried out Amazon grocery, but that too was not delivering in my area. So, I figured out how the app works, got myself a BB Star Membership, kept an eye on the slot timings, and voila! A lot of burden was lifted off my mind, and BB always ensured that I had countless supplies of burger buns, baking powder, panipuri shells, condensed milk and mushroom in my pantry. I remember how they had started delivering skincare too one day, and I got myself a Johnson Baby Milk Cream. The feeling was priceless! 

• Switching to a Menstrual Cup: I had always wondered about it, and this felt a perfect time to give it a shot! I was anyway at home mostly, so it was a lot more easier to convince myself. And like I always say, if you end up convincing yourself, more than half the work is already accomplished! I have two full posts about my experience with Menstrual Cups and FAQ’s. Do read it in case you are also thinking to give it a shot. 

• Virtual Reunion became the “new normal”: Since we could not go out for coffee dates, both friends and family reconnected over video calls. I would often swipe my lipstick before the virtual coffee dates. Yes, this was the “new normal” and staying in touch, no matter what, ensured that we remain sane amidst all the uncertainty.  
• Shopping was reduced to bare minimum: My credit card was barely used, and we all learnt how to survive without online shopping for the last few months. Ordering dresses, shoes, bags wouldn’t anyway have been of any use!
• Indulging in King sized Breakfasts: Earlier breakfasts used to be store bought dhoklas and instant oats or upma. I would anyway be late for work, so I would order from online eateries on my way or only after I reached office. This has undergone a huge change now. No more online eateries. Home made Dosa with Chutney, Stuffed Paranthas, Upma, Poha, Idlis have made their place on my breakfast plate with a steaming cup of coffee. 

• The City of Joy felt like different altogether: Rain washed streets, low pollution, clear skies and greenery – Kolkata too got a new life during this pandemic. As if nature had self-healed the city. 

• Blogging: Yessss…..you heard that right. I am devoting a lot more time to my Blog. What used to be 15-25 posts a year has now become 5 posts a month, which is great statistics. More importantly, I blog at my own convenience and have been able to express myself beyond hauls and product reviews.

I still have a lot on my “bucket list” before we get back to our old selves – Want to try hand knitting, want to get better at yoga, want to balance work-life a little more efficiently. Hanging on to these moments at present, and thinking of days when we can go out to have phuchka without any fear again!

So if you ask me, do I love this “new normal”? Yes, there are times when I do miss wedding invitations, coffee dates, impromptu visits to a friend’s place…and so on! I will surely be missing the huge pandal hopping crowd this Durga Puja. Not to forget our annual vacations thereafter and the fairs that the City of Joy hosts every year. But I have to admit that this is a different phase of life and is something that I have now personally become habituated to. Not only me, the whole world has adapted to working from home, online learning and taking an extra effort for ensuring personal hygiene. Getting back to our normal old selves will be again a mammoth task, but as they always say, “Change is the only thing constant!“

This Blog Post was a part of the #LetsBlogWithPri S2

Don’t miss Sabiha’s post on Why change of routines this lock down is making me happy?

Rashmi has some Tips for Aspiring bloggers & Influencers – My 100th Blogpost 

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