When the Philippine government imposed a community lockdown in Metro Manila and the nearby provinces, we were anxious and excited at what this could possibly mean to the work that some of us do. I initially thought that the community quarantines would only last for a few weeks up to a month, but another quarter had passed, then another. We are now in our eighth month, and for people like me who had been mostly working from home, many adjustments had to be made. After working in an office for over a decade, I had to adjust to this new working environment.
Like some of you, I have already established routines, which incorporate activities that I have been longing to do. Activities that because of my three to four hours commute everyday are being deprioritized. Pre-pandemic, I leave the house at half past five in the morning and get back in the house by nine in the evening. Nowadays, I can wake up at 6:30 a.m., do a 10- to 15-minute exercise with whoever is already awake in the house, eat breakfast with the family, do my daily Bible reading, and help one of my daughters to her homework. I am now able to do these before starting work at 8:30 a.m. At night, just before my kids end their day, we are doing our family Bible devotion, which I could not do before because I usually arrive home well past their bedtime. On weekends, our entire family is just at home, spending time together. There are no extracurricular activities to attend to. Our social calendars have been bare as well. A couple of Saturdays ago, we were able to attend an online seventh birthday party of one of our friend’s kid. My take-away from that party was that it was very efficient since there was no need to travel. My wife and I began to wonder, will these (e.g., online parties, work from home) activities continue even post-pandemic? What ift hey do not?
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