Covid — Five years on: 'I found it hard to readjust to life as it was before' 

Readjusting to normal life after covid has been especially difficult for young people, who are only now getting their first taste of 'normality'

Ava-Rose Gallagher: 'I missed out on a lot of teenage experiences, from my debs to celebrating my 18th birthday.'

I remember sitting at the kitchen table one night begging my mom to let me go to a disco in Killarney that March weekend in 2020. She told me it was too dangerous, I thought she was crazy and just overreacting. 

The next morning in the middle of English, teachers were called out of class, only to return shortly ahead of an intercom announcement telling us that we were being sent home for two weeks because of the pandemic. We were all delighted! 

Little did we know, staying at home would become our new normal, impacting not only our education but also our friendships and mental health. Being in fifth year at the time, our teachers told us to bring home everything — books, copies, binders - all of it. Again, I thought it was a bit dramatic but reluctantly did as I was told. 

I didn’t return to St Mary’s until April 2021.

 

This article is part of a series looking back at the covid-19 pandemic, five years on from when restrictions were first introduced in Ireland.

 

Those first few weeks were glorious; Zoom classes meant rolling out of bed five minutes before school started, logging in with the camera off and attending lessons while still curled up under a blanket, a cup of tea in hand. 

When school remained online I realised this was far bigger than I had anticipated. The sight of empty supermarket shelves — no bread, milk, or toilet paper — was unsettling, making me think my mom wasn’t overreacting after all. 

My dad being a paramedic and several of my family members being considered at high risk worried me. 

The novelty of online classes wasn’t long wearing off. The fun parts of school no longer existed — no chatting with the friend next to you or going to the shop at lunch time. Now FaceTime was our only form of social interaction outside of our families. My friendships were one of the only things keeping me going at that time where loneliness crept in on everyone. 

Lockdown took family bonding to a whole new level. Though my family and I got on well, being in each other’s back pockets for such a long time was trying, to say the least. I have never been so infuriated by another person being in the kitchen at the same time as me, viewing it as my brother infiltrating my space when, in reality, he was only trying to make a sandwich.

Little did we know, after teachers told us that we were being sent home for two weeks because of the pandemic, what the impact on our education, friendships and mental health would be. File picture: Larry Cummins

I really do owe a lot to my teachers in St Mary’s, Macroom. Through interactive Zoom calls, break-out rooms and additional support videos made from scratch, they did a brilliant job of keeping us engaged in our studies while bringing us a small sense of normalcy in our new reality. 

I did, however, struggle quite a lot with the lack of a routine. With my schooling, socialising and part-time job put on hold, I found it hard to prevent the empty days from consuming me. 

I missed out on a lot of teenage experiences, from my debs to celebrating my 18th birthday. Turning 18 during the first lockdown resulted in celebrating the milestone with a cocktail-making competition in the kitchen with my family, instead of being surrounded by my friends and loved ones down in the local pub. 

Summer weekends that were once filled with the buzz of getting ready for teenage discos were now replaced with the same mundane activities like walking within my 5km radius. By the end of summer, I was sure I had watched every title on Netflix.

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Lockdown has left its long-term effects on everyone, but I feel it significantly impacted my generation — I don’t think it’s a coincidence that there has been a surge in anxiety among young people. 

Like many of my friends, I really felt the weight of lockdown on my mental health both during lockdown and to this day even after it has ended. 

When we were finally able to leave our homes, I remember feeling incredibly uneasy shopping for groceries - the fear of contracting covid-19 alongside this newfound social interaction left me not knowing how to act. As a result of this, my confidence plummeted, and I found it hard to readjust to my social life as it was before. 

On the flip side, with all my spare time I found love for new hobbies I otherwise wouldn’t have had the time to explore. Though I no longer had weekly GAA matches and trainings, I passed the time running, reading and cooking up a storm for my family.

College life

After spending so much time at home, I found the transition from secondary school to university incredibly difficult - my first year at UCC consisted of both remote and in-person learning. Making friends was impossible - it was hard to recognise familiar faces with a mask on, not to mind new ones. 

Lecture attendance has been poor during my time in college. With my course result being entirely dependent on my final year grades, I don’t think I really valued in-person lectures until this year. 

Online classes were so much more convenient especially when my only real objective until now was to simply pass the year. 

College social life was also vastly different to what people may have experienced before. The new normal in my first year consisted of small bookings, an allotted time slot and table service. 

Many students turned to house parties as an alternative and that habit has impacted the nightlife in Cork city.

Lessons learned

Five years after that day of the unexpected announcement, I am in my last semester of a degree in Commerce International with German at UCC. Looking back, I do feel that I lost some of my youth to the pandemic. There are still areas of my life where I feel stuck in the lockdown mindset. 

My generation has been shaped by this experience in a way that older generations might not fully understand. Despite all of this, lockdown had its lessons; none of us will ever take our health or our freedom and independence for granted again. 

I guess in a sense, it's kind of exciting. There are still so many experiences and ways for us to grow and that alone is something to look forward to.

• Ava-Rose Gallagher is a final year student of Commerce International with German at UCC