The one thing I have realized is the fact that I am in reality, a very anti social person. I am happy not having to dress up and go anywhere. I hope I will not forget how to wear a sari but it definitely seems like a huge task even mentally imagining it at the present time. It is possible if I worked from home, I would feel differently. But since I did not actually stop leaving the house to go to work everyday and since I was a sad person with little social life before (unless you count the number of friends and posts on Facebook), I did not feel like anything changed. I just had a very valid reason to decline all invitations without guilt, convinced I was following the rules and doing my bit for humanity by falling off to sleep on my couch.
We have had a record showing at departmental teaching sessions and meetings where everyone is muted and veiled (what's the word when you join without putting the video on?). However speaking to the screen like you really feel passionately about the subject without making eye contact with the listeners (are they really listening, who knows?) is fine until you want some discussion and ask a question. One is met with a few moments silence like I presume one experiences if you walked into space from an imaginary spaceship you are isolating on....the feeling of absolute nothingness or perhaps infinity.
Having got familiar with the miraculous application which has surfaced and taken over our lives in these times called Zoom, one then resorts to calling out the names of the participants for a response. The person then has no choice but to unmute their device. She does it with an air of anticipated chaos as the whole meeting becomes witness to a full fledged sibling fight on air. Children are hushed, devices muted and we carry on until we find out someone else's mike was left unmuted as they were having a mundane conversation perhaps about another bane of our lives, the printer. Life has thrown interesting challenges in these times.
We have not been allowed to gather to share knowledge hence another word has been added to our dictionaries this year- Webinar! Mention it to my medical fraternity and they sigh in frustration!
As working women, the workplace sometimes is a much needed break from the chaos ensuing at home. And a break from both home and work used to be the conferences usually hosted in nice locales or starred hotels. One had a chance to attend without husband and kids in tow, flaunt the saris, listen to accomplished people and feel inspired, eat and drink in a relaxed atmosphere talking to acquaintances, friends or strangers without having to worry about getting called for an emergency at home or at work. Sadly the webinars have added to our multitasking skills. Now we are having to try to learn about the developments in medicine while minding kids or patients.
All conferences used to have a few notorious participants who asked a question after every lecture. There were always the ones who had genuine problems which needed solving but there were also the ones who loved the sound of their own voices, who loved sharing their seemingly unique experiences showcasing their esteemed expertise. However since the webinar only invites the questions in writing- the discussions are less lively as there are no pretty, angry or distinguished faces or accents to decipher, no counter questions or comments and the participants I suspect are only half listening. The charm of attending an educational event away from the familiar stressful surroundings is gone! One of the many Covid casualties.
All of us know of members of the fraternity, friends, ex colleagues, elders who have lost their lives to this deadly disease, the impact of which has been revealed over time. There were many of us who were not sure that the lockdowns especially early on when India did it, were warranted. However all the Governments are having to grapple with having to choose between economy and health of its subjects. UAE is no exception. Like always it has used technology as well as health infrastructure and systems to contain the infection in a constructive manner. Health regulators have had a 24x7 job interpreting WHO guidelines and coming up with their own and have done well but the New Year festivities in Dubai (Winter being peak Tourist season and major driver of economy in yesteryears) have thrown up another spate of infections. As a result, weddings, entertainments, elective surgeries have again been put on hold.
Hopefully the vaccination drive will put us out of the woods. The Government has made tests every 2-4 weeks, depending on exposure, mandatory. But here is the catch, if you are not vaccinated, you will pay for the tests yourself, the cost of each is close to 80 Dirhams! Till now the employer was paying. Thats it, that made loads all over the country queue up to receive the vaccine, no questions asked and we are amongst the top countries in terms of number of vaccinations.
I remember when I was training, blood borne infections like Hepatitis B and HIV were the ones which we worried about. Every day I would wonder if the blood and liquor which had been splashed all over during my work hours, had gone into my eye or into a little unseen cut in my hand! Soon we were using universal precautions- we learnt to treat everyone like they could be harboring an infection.
Looks like this might happen again. Much as we abhorred the mask at the beginning we seem to have got used to it now. Its a habit now to press lift buttons with my elbow, sanitize my hands after I touch anything, sit 6 feet from people if possible when indoors and the only time we see people without a mask is usually on Zoom!
Lipsticks in my drawer are feeling as left out as the saris in my cupboard.... I am trying to give them hope even as a part of me likes being able to listen to lectures while sunning myself with tea and peanuts!
People are getting recruited via zoom, work online and have even got promoted without getting to meet anyone in their workplace in person! My cousin who is a software engineer had come to stay with his parents when I spoke to him. He said- my work and kid’s school is both online- I am not sure how long I will stay
I at once thought about the wife whose stay at in laws could not be cut short even on pretext of school as both dad and kids put head phones on and proceeded with their lives while reclining on the couch!
Stay safe everyone and take the vaccine!
