Staying Positive ☆ 10 Positive Aspects Brought About by The Pandemic

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” -Anne Frank

These are the inspiring words by a child who lived hiding from 1942 to 1944 during the German occupation in the Netherlands in the World War II.

The Philippines has been going through the longest lockdown of children in the world since March 2020. A huge number of expats have departed over the last year and even more is expected in the coming months largely because of the online schooling situation and the restrictions of children.

If my husband’s job required us to stay here for one more year, without hesitation, I would say yes. My kids may not voluntarily sign up for the same, but I know that they would be fine.

Some of my good friends are staying in Manila next year. I also believe that new expats are scheduled to move to Manila during the summer. Therefore, I thought of providing the bright side of the pandemic as a wife, mother and expat who has gone through the pandemic for the last 14 months in Manila, Philippines.

We all have the ability to find a silver lining of every negative situation. I find this a very important exercise if you live abroad, especially in so-called “hardship” countries.

Without further ado, here are 10 positive things in my expat life in Manila during the pandemic.

1. Having My Kids Around

My 3 kids have been on online schooling 100% since March of 2020. So far, my kids have been doing okay with an online education. It may not be the best option for them if the in-person was available. However, given the situation, they were fortunate to have an amazing education offered online. Thanks to that, I’ve got to see them and spend more time with them at home. In all honesty, I will miss them once they start commuting to school.

2. More Time With My Husband

My husband’s job required him to go to evening functions after hours once or twice a week. He also used to travel for work once a month or once every other month. I never liked seeing him off for a business trip, but it was part of our life. Due to the pandemic, though, all of his business trips have been suspended. He even worked from home everyday during the hardest lockdown last year. Keeping my husband close to home is a treat for me. We’ve been married for almost 22 years. He still gives me butterflies.

3. Less Traffic

I have lived in cities with one of the worst traffic conditions in the world: Jakarta, Mumbai and Manila. Which are the worst? To me, they all are the same. Since last March, I have not sat in traffic much. It has made my life so much easier. I never thought I would experience the time without traffic in a mega city like Manila in my life. It had been wild and pleasant. Traffic is coming back to Manila, though.

4. More Relaxing Mornings

My mornings used to be like a battle field. I used to get up at 5:00 a.m. to take a shower and get ready for the day. When the clock hit 5:45, I woke up my kids who wouldn’t be ready until 6:00 a.m. Then breakfast, brushing teeth, make sure they have everything they need and get out of the house by 6:30 a.m. to walk to the bus stop. At times I had to raise my voice. This routine every single day was exhausting. Now I have peace and quiet in the morning. It. Is. The. Best.

5. Less Stressful At The Bed Time Routine

This is similar to my point 4. I used to feel stressed around 8:00 p.m. My kids needed to get in bed. The lights needed to be turned off for my younger 2 kids by 8:30 p.m. maybe 9:00 p.m. the latest. Otherwise, my middle daughter would have a headache on the following day. These days my kids go to bed around 8:30 sometimes 9:00. There are days when lights are not off until 9:30 p.m. I don’t get stressed out any more.

6. More Time With My Teen

This may be considered an addition to #1. My teen daughter is a social butterfly. I’m happy for her that she has many wonderful friends, but I felt sad that she was hardly home before the pandemic. Now I see her more. She would invite her friends over to our house or goes to her friends’ home. The pandemic has restricted activities for teen life and it has robbed many normal social interactions from them. However, the flip side of it is that it has turned into a gift of time with them for their parents. At least, that is how I look at it. I feel blessed.

7. Shopping In Less Crowded Stores

I experienced some hell of a time during the early stage of the pandemic where all the shops were strict about how many people to be allowed in the store at a time. You may have seen photos of people lined up outside stores while social distancing. The wait to get in used to be a couple of hours at the worst time. However, that was only during the hardest lockdown in March and April in 2020. That no longer exists. Shopping is so much easier and pleasant everywhere these days.

8. No Wait At Medical Appointments

Since all the appointments at clinics and hospitals are coordinated in advance in a cautious manner, the medical appointments have been smooth and quick in Manila. Even before COVID, we hardly had to wait for a long time in the waiting room, but now there is no wait. Making appointments isn’t hard, either. Medical offices operate with regular hours and their services have been quite reassuring for patients.

9. Efficient Paperwork & Process Time

We have started the preparations for our move this summer. It involves lots of paperwork as you know if you have moved internationally. I was expecting everything to be slow and difficult. On the contrary, it has been surprisingly smooth. Everything I had to do involved making an appointment. Every appointment has been pleasant. Since we went through a milder version of lockdown in March and April, I had a lot of free time, which allowed me to knock things out of my list without scrambling my schedule like I used to.

10. More Relaxed Schedule

Have you been stressed out by managing your calendar or logistics for your family in the last year? I doubt any of us have. It’s been so chill for me. Before Covid, I used to manage my 3 kids’ schedules with birthday parties, sport meets, concerts, school conferences, kids’ play dates and social gatherings on top of my husband’s and my schedules. It was overwhelming at times. I had never imagined that the day when I can slow down and have an empty calendar would come when my kids are still in school. It’s wonderful to slow down. I cherish every zen moments I get to have.

That’s it!

Do you feel the same way with any of above?

Anne Frank wrote the following.

“Whoever is happy will make others happy too.”

I hope to make my happiness contagious. That’s the main reason why I keep going back to blog. I want to share the good and positivity with people out there. I go through hard days and frustrating times just like everyone else. That’s simply life. Life abroad is not all rainbow and sunshines. However, it is rewarding if you stick around.

As for our life in Manila during the pandemic, there have been times when we were able to travel when the cases were low in the past. We went to Fishermen’s Clove in Puerto Galera in January and Crusoe Cabins and Little Boracay Sandbar and Starfish Island in February.

We expect to keep bouncing back and forth between relaxed state and lockdown in many parts of the world for a while. One mantra that should help you is this one.

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
– A.A. Milne

Stay safe, everyone.