What a wonderful time this is. Everything is gone virtual and there is no human interaction.
Perhaps it's only me who'd find it comforting and desirable.
Hi, my name is Piyush and I'm an introvert. And this is perhaps the best time for someone like me to live.
I know, I know; you might not be having a great time and you are probably feeling trapped in your home, but that's how I often feel when somebody forces me to go out into people. Perhaps now "Extroverts" can understand my suffering. 😄
I was just teasing a bit, I didn't mean to make anyone feel bad but I wanted to show you guys the other side of the picture. This pandemic has forced everyone to be locked into the home and they are getting mad. Obviously, it doesn't apply to me, not because I already am mad, but this is how life is for an introvert. Into the home most of the time, avoiding people and even if there are barely few friends in our lives then we rather prefer to be in touch with them via social sites but would rarely talk on phone calls.
When this lockdown was imposed then my few friends and mostly my family member said to me, "It wouldn't have affected you right? Your life was always limited to your room. What's suffering to us all is Normal life to someone like you."
Trust me I never felt this better hearing those words. But I was mildly pleased too for seeing their emotional sufferings, it's like one in a billion wish came true. They always wanted me to go out and mix into the people be friends with them and I, on the contrary, wanted them to get into their home and be in solitude and learn to befriend with themselves. When you are alone, eventually you learn to be your own friend. I am my own friend.
I have tons of books in my room. I love to read a lot. And I was thinking that when my college starts, I'd want to have at least one friend there who'd share a common interest in literature. So that I can feel comfortable there but thanks to this pandemic everything went virtual. My interview for college was also conducted on phone and that was so comfortable, at least I could speak out something if I was there sitting before that person, I'd not be able to utter a single word. Fortunately I got selected and that was some pleasing news at my home. Something positive in these negative times.
My best friend, who is an utter idiot, was in Pune at that period and cases of this virus were rising in Pune and I was so concerned for him, so I'd often make excuses regarding admission process and was seeking his guidance step by step, but secretly was ensuring that he is okay. Yeah, despite having a best friend I am still hesitant to ask him direct questions. Sometimes I do hate my too introvert nature, but he's used to it and doesn't judge me for that, and I guess that's the best part of our friendship. I have a plan to write another short story too and in that, I'm gonna develop a character inspired by him. Maybe that's my way to express myself, I'm not good at speaking out but writing down.
Yes, despite reading books I also love to write a little and here I am, enlisting for Management Studies. What an ironic thing that is. But the best part is that because of this pandemic my college has also gone virtual, which is quite frustrating and disappointing for most of the batchmates of mine but not for me. We all came into the eyes of each other in our induction programme which was also virtual, obviously. Nothing but names on screen and I guess, just like me, others were also checking who are their batch mates.
So there are ways to meet people by not interacting with them physically. NICE. I like that. 😂
Alright I was just nagging on extroverts. Here I can speak, but when it's about-face to face conversation I'd automatically turn mute. It's not that I wouldn't have something to say, I often have many things to say but it's incapability to say that makes me mute. But I talk a lot when it's social sites and that feels so comfortable to me for instance I can talk to a person without seeing his/her uninterested, boring, judgemental face.
Well, everything is not okay as I am making it to believe. Things are pretty bad with me too as they are with all of them. There were stressful times that what if that virus spreads to where I live and my loved ones are affected by it. There was too much panic at one time and I was so stressed like most. And after a period I stopped watching that overdramatized news. I understand that News channel had become an essential source of information when people can't go out of their own house, but they were also creating really panicking perception too. And as I saw how people less fortunate than me were suffering, it only brought guilt to me for having a better situation in life than them.
So back to the college: the admission process was also online and I had to pay fees online which was quite unusual even for me. Well, it was doubtful at that period that I am not seeing any faculty nor even a college premises and yet I am paying fees to ghost institute. Even a thought of getting into Fraud had crossed my mind and I was tensed. The amount was too big and Thorat Sir would have killed me, for sure if I had lost the money by sending it to the wrong bank account.
But then my best friend convinced me that it's good to be sceptical but relax, this is how the procedure is this time and it's reliable. So I was semi assured. I paid my first installment with full of scepticism in my mind. But soon after a few days, I was offered a DIGITAL SLIP for my first instalment and I was amused. 'So this is how it is going to be.' I said to myself. Gradually as the admission team was in contact via phone or whats' app, I was getting convinced to go for it and my scepticism was declining.
In mid-July our Induction programme had started then I was convinced little more. I guess there were many who faced similar doubts like me. I guess it was the new kind of challenge for the institution to convince people that education can be conducted even in this troubling time. As it was a different kind of experience for students like me, it was totally new for them too, and surely full of unprecedented challenges.
Virtual connectivity had created much scepticism in our lives at that time and there are still many and they keep changing time to time. For instance, at the beginning, it was my duty to convince my parents that it's possible to conduct online college, which was quite difficult but as the admission team kept guiding me time to time, I was passing the same information to them and they were also getting little bit convinced.
In the Induction Session, I had understood how my lectures will be and how other students might behave, including me. If there was some activity which was uninteresting for the majority of the students then they would rather have conversation and troll on what's app group. Oh yeah, we all were connected with each other swiftly. I guess it's another benefit of this virtual life, one doesn't have to ask for number anymore they can just get it and contact anyone. Lovelorns must be pleased with this opportunity. But as per the time being, nothing conflicting happened among students and they went well together. That's nice to see even for an introvert like me.
I see how people are quite supportive of each other. They crack jokes and they troll and they get along and it's all happening when all of them are still at their own homes. Then someone enthusiastic takes initial and brings all of them together by conducting a private meet up session on any video conference platform. Everyone is so cheerful on a video conference with batchmates but not that enthusiastic in lectures. I know even Teachers do understand and know these things but they don't speak of it. They do know that students talk on what's app group while the lectures are going on or some of the students keep logged in to the class and do other stuff and teachers are well aware of it and even they do know how students are desperate to come to college and live their college life.
Me? Well, I am quite comfortable like this too but I wouldn't mind to go to college soon. It would be intimidating at the beginning but I guess even I am gaining couple of friends and they would help me to adjust there. I spent all my life feeling quite uncomfortable and anxious in the premises of schools and colleges, for that I had even made some memes. But life won't go on taking out notes by screenshots. This period will also pass and this short time fun will remain special for me.
But until then I must enjoy what I enjoy, being in my room and attending all the lectures. And it's fun actually if you seem like there are things that are changed but yet nothing much has changed. When a student gives the wrong answer in class, others would laugh on him/her and here they'd be trolled on what's app group. I had one experience for myself, to be honest. There were passing of paper notes in class, hiding from the teacher when we were in high schools, now we all just send what's app text to each other while being in an online class.
We don't even have to worry about our appearance. Nobody is seeing us and our camera is off most of the time, which is quite convenient, to be honest. I can eat my breakfast while attaining my first online lecture in the morning and the teacher would not even rebuke me, because he/she will not even know about it. We all have eaten our tiffin in ongoing lectures in our highschool, perhaps this is somewhat similar to that but surely not that thrilling as it used to be in those days.
When the teacher asks a question then as a result there is silence sometimes, it may seem that students are not interested in lecture but all the students think that someone else might talk and nobody talks for a few seconds. That also teaches new norms in this virtual life.
I wish there was a school of music too and of literature and there would be a job after that. 😂 I know it seems too good to be true. A few years back I had given up academics for similar reasons, and even if there are such schools then they are hidden in the crowd of Colleges of Engineering, Medical, Law, Management and many other. I ended up with Management College and getting quite a new experiences there. And to be honest, it is also fun. It's not me who is clueless, there are students too who are clueless regarding their specialization. Faculty has assured them that they will help to them accordingly.
This is another level surprise to me that Faculty is willing to help students to find their own specialization. In my previous academic experience, all I received was rebuke and lectures. 😂
But there is one thing I am quite sure of and that is all my batchmates are quite eager to see college and see and meet up the person in real to whom they are connected virtually. When the college opens then there would be a different kind of celebration on the premises. All those who's been connected virtually for months will hug each other when they meet up in real. They would be so glad to finally see each other in real. Some would be so happy to see faculty members, and faculty members would be equally pleased too to their virtual students in real. And it would look like people are so pleased to meet each other after a long time, though it would be the first time they'd be seeing each other.
What about me? Well, I'd probably observe everything around me and then write down all these beautiful memories on a piece of paper. I'm much of a quiet sort of person in real but there is one thing I would definitely say. And that is:
Mr. Putin, please send some vaccines here, I really need to go the college now. 😄
