Lockdown Journal - Reflections from India
Since the lectures and assessments for Hilary term ended, I’ve used my spare time for introspection on my personally and professionally paths. I have come to appreciate more the freedom of movement and the choices that the pandemic have now limited.
In the middle of the Hilary term, what do you expect MBA students to be doing (except of course spending nights at The Oxford Retreat or Hank’s)? Many will imagine attending lectures, preparing for assessments, and enjoying the beautiful spring in the City of Spires.
For our cohort, Hilary Term was very different. Lecture theatres became emptier by the day, and Oxford became quieter after the first Coronavirus cases were reported in the city. It is strange to realise that the Innovation Strategy lecture has been the last in-person lecture of my degree and that the formal dinner I attended at Exeter College will probably (but not hopefully) be my last college formal.
The following few days are blurred in my memory: I hurriedly booked flight tickets, packed my bags and said goodbye to my friends in Oxford, not knowing when we would be back. I wished I had more time, to see the Radcliffe Camera or to visit my favourite coffee shop one last time, however I was already on my flight to Delhi (one of the last) before I realised.
As I landed in Delhi in the morning, I was welcomed by a lovely (less so now) spring weather and the chaos that I had temporarily forgotten. I was looking forward to meeting my family after a long journey that, for the first time, had taken me away from home.
Despite that, I tried my best to maintain distance from them and quarantined myself for 14 days; soon after, India went into lockdown as well. In a nutshell, I have been at home since I came back to Delhi, indulging in the food I missed and sharing the magical Oxford experiences with my family.
One of the first things my mum said is that I’ve come back frail, which only meant that I would be fed like a king and so I have been! Not complaining about being at home, at all!
Meanwhile, the Hilary term transitioned to online lectures. They took a lot of time to get used to and are not the same as an in-person lectures, but it is encouraging to see how my fellow students, SBS admin and staff, and the professors are trying their utmost to make the best out of the resources available to us.
Sometimes the online classes do get boring; in those situations it helps that we have some of the most talented people in our cohort who sing and play instruments during breaks to cheer everyone up! Talking about cheering up, the WHT team has been incredible in looking out for us, keeping a check on us, and keeping our spirits high with regular Zoom calls.
I recently attended my first Zoom birthday party, a celebration of a close friend of mine, in which people from different parts of the world joined in, sang birthday songs and virtually cut a cake: everyone had a good time, which was much needed amidst all the chaos, but I hope that this was the last such party!
Since the lectures and assessments for Hilary term ended, I’ve used my spare time for introspection on my personally and professionally paths. I have come to appreciate more the freedom of movement and the choices that the pandemic have now limited. And, to try and be productive, I’ve enrolled in an online course to up-skill myself and have started learning a new language using a mobile app, which is fun!
Although I can’t wait to be back in Hogwarts, and meet the best friends I have made in such a short period, I hope that this situation brings the WHT, SBS, and the Oxford community closer than ever, and be prepared to face any challenge in the future.
