The COVID-19 crisis is a global challenge for people from all over the world and all walks of life. Discover our interview series how they experience the current situation and which lessons they are drawing from their time in lockdown.

Karina Cheah had just started her internship at Initiatives of Change Switzerland when the COVID-19 crises started and she had to move back to the US in a hurry.

What is your current situation? How is the spread of COVID-19 impacting you?

My name is Karina Cheah. I am currently back in the States (DC area) after my university’s study program in Geneva ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I am spending 14 days in self-isolation, and what happens afterwards depends on what regulations are next put in place, but the pandemic seems such that I will be staying home for several weeks.

Describe in 3 words how you are feeling right now?

Disappointed but grateful and curious.

What is your biggest challenge at the moment?

Coming to terms with the end of my planned semester abroad and having to readjust to this unexpected turnaround.

What are the lessons you have already learned from this time?

I’m confined to two rooms due to my quarantine, so I’ve had to look for ways to keep my morale up and pass the time. Walks outside (while practicing safe social distancing, of course) are a great way to give myself a break and keep morale up, especially when working from home.

Also, if there’s ever a time to try things you’ve always wanted to, it’s now. I’m teaching myself ukulele and learning more about Thai history between classes and work.

Do you practice quiet time? If yes: what is your practice and how does it help you?

I take a little time at the end of every day to write a short journal entry on the good things that happened that day, my thoughts on the day, and my aspirations for tomorrow. If I really need to reset during the day, I make tea or hot chocolate and listen to music without looking at my phone.

What are your best tips and tricks to fight anxiety/loneliness/uncertainty (whichever you struggle most with)?

I’ve turned off my news notifications and stopped looking at the updates as often to try and lower my anxiety, and it helps a lot to not have doomsday headlines popping up on my screen every hour.

How can we connect with others and support them when we have to barricade ourselves?

Keep in regular contact with friends and family. Most of us are inside now – there's no reason not to reach out to someone you have been thinking about or want to talk to. In those conversations, catch up on things you’ve missed in each other’s lives or trade stories. Forget about the virus, even if just for a little. It’s refreshing.

What made you laugh today?

My dad trying to teach our dog, Moose, to do yoga. It didn’t go so well.

How would you (as a person) like to emerge from this crisis?

I’m hoping to be more resilient and more optimistic, and who knows what else the crisis will bring?

What are you grateful for?

I’m so, so grateful for the experience that I did get to have in Geneva, even though it was drastically shortened, and for the IofC team in Geneva who are helping to keep me busy and sane by staying in contact. I’m lucky enough to have an amazing network of family and friends around me who understand my disappointment about the semester ending the way it did and who are supporting me and each other to push through this surreal experience.

The COVID-19 crisis and the lockdown in many countries around the globe is taking its toll on all of us. In an attempt to help people connect and encourage each other we hosted a live Quiet Time event on Tuesday, 31 March 2020, led by Nick Foster (UK), Director of the Caux Forum.

Quiet Time is a form of silent reflection that consists in becoming mindful of what is going on inside (thoughts, feelings, motives) and writing it down. Whether you are an experienced practitioner or have never heard of it - all you need is a pen and some paper to write down your insights.

Quiet Time is different from the forms of meditation that consist in letting thoughts come and go. It is also different from effortful focused thinking about a question or problem. Rather, Quiet Time is about looking inside and seeing whether what we find points to areas in the past that need attention, future actions, relationships that need care, etc.

59 people from all over the world took part in the live event on 31 March and in spite of some technical issues at the beginning the general feedback has been very positive.

So if you would like to join in next time please stay posted for our next live Quiet Time event coming up soon!

You were not able to join live? Don't worry, you can still watch the video here.

Elly Stigter has been working for Initiatives of Change Netherlands (IofC) as a project coordinator and administrative assistant since May 2018. She is a mother of two young adults, loves to cook, travel, go hiking and have a good conversation. Here are her reflexions on life during the first two weeks of lockdown in the Netherlands.

By now we are in the second week of staying at home as much as possible. Last Monday, Prime Minister Mark Rutte told us that all meetings are forbidden until June 1st, also for groups of less than 100 people. Automatically I thought that we are not allowed to go to the office or school, because sitting the whole day in a class of 30 students is not an option. So we have to spend the next two months at home! That's a bit scary.

Don't get me wrong, it's a horrible virus. I'll do everything I can to prevent infection. Everyone should do that, so that the virus costs as few lives as possible. We shouldn't make it any harder than it is for the healthcare personnel. But two months at home, day in, day out, with all social activities virtually at a standstill? No social contacts except by phone or computer? How am I going to do that?

In the meantime it appears that I have concluded too quickly that the government will take a decision next week about the compulsory closure of schools, catering and working from home. For the time being, the measure applies until 6 April. In the coming days, the number of infections will determine whether or not to extend this measure.

Every day we hear the number of new infections, the number of patients in intensive care and unfortunately also the number of deceased. Every day there are more and we are only at the beginning of the pandemic in The Netherlands. All hospitals in The Netherlands are increasing the number of beds with breathing facilities. Hotels that are empty are now being converted into nursing homes or maternity homes.

I find the creative solutions and the willingness of people to help each other fantastic and very hopeful. Whether it's a curtain studio that will now also make medical masks, DSM that will make disinfection gel for the hospital, or a local restaurant that started to bring meals to the homes of the elderly.

I always try to pay attention to the positive side. On the internet you can clearly see the environmental effects of a total Lock down in China and Italy. The water in Venice has never been so clear and blue in colour and is now full of fish. The photos about the air pollution and CO2 emission over China are also very clear. During a total Lock down or mandatory stay at home, nature will catch its breath again.

Isn't this also a good moment for us to reflect and think about what we can do differently from now on? Before we start running again as we did before between home, school and/or work, supermarket and back home? We now have time to think about this for ourselves and in the meantime enjoy the blossoms, green leaves that carefully appear on trees and shrubs and a beautiful blue sky with an ever warmer sun.

I wish everyone lots of love, strength and health. Take care of yourself and each other.

Elly Stigter, 26 March 2020

• Please click here to read the original blog entry on the website of IofC Netherlands.
• Photos: IofC Netherlands