A day in the life of an Erasmus+ student in state quarantine – by Chanthalakone Souydalay

A Day In My Life At Control and Prevention place provided by Lao government during Covid-19

I was so happy to be back home in Laos after waiting for two months in Germany because of there was no flights from Germany to my home country before. Normally, I was a mobility student in the Erasmus+ Programme there only 6 months, March to August 2020, but during corona season was strange for everything, it was also for my flight that I have booked in August 2020 was canceled. Hence, I have extended to live in Germany more two months until I could fly again in October 16, 2020.

According to the pandemic continues spreading and increasing around the worldwide. The Lao government was decided to extend lock-down again until the corona is not strong. Moreover, there are the laws to control the spreading of pandemic  that the travelers flights from any where around the world have to quarantine for 14 days in the “Control and Prevention place by Lao Government”.

 

I quarantined in the “Control and Prevention place by Lao Government” for two weeks.  “It is challenging times” is a phrase that I have been hearing very often lately. The hardest part of this quarantine has been the way it has completely disrupted my daily routine. Obviously, the initial days of quarantine were quite difficult for me that I was mostly in the room and planned to do something to take boring day away. The absoluteness made it impossible to do anything productive and much of my days were spent on YouTube English learning, Netflix watching comedy movies with the subtitles, work on the blog/WordPress, make lessons plan and writing Lao songs to escape from what was going on my life of quarantine days.

This is my routines on the day of quarantine looked like as below…

 

6:30 Get up

Normally, I get up around 6 am, because of I set an alarms clock on my mobile every morning. After I get out of the bed, I went to request permission from the security to allow going for a walk and jogging in the front of building to get the fresh air in the mornings. But, unfortunately I could got out only two days and then I had to be in the room due to there was a infectious person in the same building where I quarantined. Next morning, I continued exercise in my room even though it was not more fun like outside, but it made me to feel relax and enjoying on the day of quarantine.

 

7:00 Nice coffee

After I finished exercise, I made myself a nice cup of Lao coffee. While I sit on the floor without any chair, I also watched the way how to remember English vocabulary in YouTube. I took about 40 minutes on nice coffee drinking that it made me to start great day.

 

8:00 Breakfast

After I washed body up, I ate breakfast quite early in the morning. The food was provided by the staffs who take care the quarantine people in the “Control and Prevention place by Lao Government”. They hand out the food 3 times per day as 8:00 a.m, 12:00 noon and 5 p.m that everyone lined up to get the food one by one. The food was packed in plastic box and everybody had the same.

 

9:00-10:30 Learning English

I liked to dedicate my free time to improve English’s vocabulary by learning in YouTube and books. During quarantine days, I had started studying English after breakfast. Moreover, I also listened English’s songs everyday to practice listening and then I tried to sing songs.

 

11:00-12:00 Lunch

After I had finished studying, I took a break and went to get the food from cookers in “Control and Prevention place by Lao Government” to eat with my colleague and friend Mr Phongsavang Xaikhongkham, who had been in Karlsruhe together with me and who now shared the room with me. They provided Lao traditional foods for example smoked meat with the pepper or fish sauce, fish soup, bamboo soup, papaya salad with sticky rice and pork grilling. I really enjoyed Lao foods with my friend.

 

12:00-15:00 Write the song 

I am a person that love the music, moreover I really like to write the song when I have free time. I finished writing two Lao songs during quarantine but only the lyrics. I plan to put the chords when I get home.

 

15:30-17:30 Blogging/Free time

I planned to work on blog post during the quarantine days, hence I scheduled to work on that. Furthermore, I also read the text that its concern with my topics for example reading:

“A day in the life of… a PH Karlsruhe volunteer”

“Quarantine life”

When I am done working on my blog, I read a book and made the lessons plan for teaching beginner English of fresh-student “New Headway Elementary” while I had some snack.

 

17:30 Exercise

I am a fan who loves sports and doing exercises are example: stretch the body, football, volleyball, and Boules (Petanque). While I quarantined in the Prevent place (Quarantine place for Covid19) I exercised time per three days that the preventers allowed walking in the front of building. I cannot walk through out as far due to they have limited area. However, I really feel relax when I did exercise even though I was sticky situation.

 

18:30 Fast Food cooking

For the dinner I usually cooked fast food as Chinese noodle that it has packed and it is very easy for cooking that just only boiled the water, then put on the bowl. I really enjoyed with my yummy dinner and gave me much time for other things.

 

19:00 Singing

After I finished yummy dinner, I took a shower as the same time I sang the songs in the bathroom. I sometimes listened the music too. It is really nice time  when I take a shower that it made me relaxing and fun.

 

20:00 Netflix watching comedy movies and English learning

I sincerely thank you to Dr. Isabel Martin who gave good opportunity and very kind to me. She also help and advice for learning English is example: she let me use her Netflix account by free. It is really the best way for practice listening English and enjoyed with comedy movies with the subtitle.  I always spent time two hours for Netflix watching movies with snacks before I go to the bed. I sometimes fell early bed and slept secretly during watching movies.

Overall, I quarantined for 14 days that the days almost were as the same living. It was quite upsetting situation for me and everyone in my country, It is very trouble for adjusting into tricky situation. I was absolutely would loved to be at home but I have to bear in minds to save my family, my friends, colleagues and other. Because I felt like insecurity for them, hence I quarantined. However, it was stressful time but everyone have to follow the rules by the Lao government.

Finally, I believe that it will not on endless and in the meantime exercise, stay active, keep working, prevent the risk, have positive attitude and personality that it leads us pass as soon as possible.

 

Text & photos by C. Souydalay