To engage school kids during this lockdown, Republica is organizing a Daily Contest where we have been publishing the best submission everyday in Republica. Meanwhile, here are other three top articles along with the winning article sent to us for Topic 1.WINNER Abhinav Gauli Class: 10 Nightingale International Secondary School Kopundole, Lalitpur Topic- How are you utilizing your time during this lock-down?It all started during mid-December, I heard about a new virus named Coronavirus, later named as COVID-19, spreading in Wuhan, China. At that time, no one cared about it as it was only in a small scale. But later on during mid-January it started to spread fast and it infected numerous countries. It had already infected as well as killed a large sum of people in China but was not that threatening in other countries. It was during February when the virus reached Italy, U.S.A and extended around the world. Situation of havoc arise as it was out of control. Then, we heard the news of football leagues like laliga, SerieA, etc. got canceled and World Health Organization (WHO) stated it as global pandemic. But there still was only one case in Nepal which got recovered. Due to no cases in Nepal, our lifestyle continued as usual. My Secondary Education Examination (SEE) was approaching and I was well prepared for it. Few days prior my SEE, I heard the news of Covid-19 spreading in India as well and a day after a case got reported in Nepal. Just a day before my exam, in a wee hours, I got the news that SEE was postponed for indefinite time. It was hard to express my level of disappointment by late decision taken by the Government of Nepal. I didn’t feel like studying at all, I turned on my TV and surfed many channels just to confirm the news was true. I along with my family were planning to go to Pokhara, my maternal grandparents home; however, lock down was announced abruptly a day before our travel to Pokhara, and my “Self-Quarantine Life” started. At the very first day, I including my family were busy buying and checking all the daily stuffs required for coming week. I did not have much mood to study, nevertheless, I didn’t discontinue my study completely. I separated about six hours a day for it. Leaving my study aside, I started engaging myself in other activities as well. As I was concerned to keep my body fit, I started to do some pushups, pullups and so on for maintaining my health. I also started helping in daily household chores like cooking, washing clothes, etc. I watched tons of Hollywood movies before but I hadn’t tried a single series. I thought it was the right time for it so I started watching “Stranger Things”. It was a “sci-fi” series having a really interesting plots. This series has three seasons so it took me five days to complete it, it was really worth watching. As we were locked down, extra outdoor activities were forbidden. I played some games with my small brother, I read novels of all the Harry Potter series. I learned songs like “Ma Timro”, “Bad Guy”, etc. in piano as well as guitar. Likewise, I wrote some songs by myself which were quite good. In a nutshell, I will like to conclude that students like me should spend this time in the most productive and effective way as they can. They shouldn’t become a couch potato in these time as it is a time to spend a quality family time and try new things. While performing all the activities they should also keep in mind about the precautions to take to be safe from the virus.
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Topic- How are you utilizing your time during this lock-down? Trishala Bista Grade VIII Kathmandu World School
Corona virus, also known as COVID-19, has spread to almost all countries around the world and Nepal also confirmed its first few cases recently. Nepal being an underdeveloped country, lacks proper health system, sufficient medical supplies and providers to deal with the virus, so the government of Nepal has decided to lock-down the country before the condition gets worse. Lock-down means we are not allowed to go anywhere unless and until there is some emergency and all the schools, shops and offices are closed. At first, the government has announced one-week closure, but it was again extended for another week. I think this lock-down gave us an opportunity to bond together as a family and spend some quality time with each other. Both my parents go to office and we hardly get to spend time with each other, except during weekends. It is fun catching up on things. As my father emphasizes on being physically fit and healthy, we spend few hours playing cricket and football. I have learned few good techniques in cricket, and I think am really improving in batting. The other thing that I learnt was how to cook different things and I think I did cook a yummy cheese ball. In this lock down, my mom, sister and I have started learning Zumba from YouTube which is fun and a good exercise at the same time. I do miss my friends, so I chat with them sometimes. But, having a younger sibling at house has really helped me spend time without getting bored, when my dad and mom are busy with their laptops doing their office works. We play different games, perform songs, dances and skits for our parents. We have also created a band, where my sister is a guitarist/drummer and I am the pianist/singer. I do watch the news at times to keep myself updated about the virus. Sometimes, I do some online studying, so I do not forget anything or miss my studies. As a family, we play different games such as brain teasers, riddles and Ludo as well as engage in creative works in the evening. I also learnt how to do household chores like cleaning, sweeping the floor, gardening etc. I have three cute dogs which really help me pass my time enjoyably, they fetch balls and make me laugh. My grandma’s house is just a few minutes’ walk away from my house, so we go and visit her. I also do spend time cycling around my house sometimes if I am tired, I go to sleep. Now my school has also started giving me assignments to do at home. I think this lock down has not been as bad as I had expected, and I consider myself lucky that we all are together and fairly safe compared to people in many other countries. I really hope this crisis ends soon and we get to lead our normal life, go out freely, meet with friends and relatives and enjoy life without any stress. Till then, “Stay home, stay safe, stay positive”
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Name:- Shilpika Sedhain Grade:- 9 (A) School: Nightingale International Secondary School
I have been locked down in my house since Wednesday, March 11. I live alone, with my laptop. I am on the second floor of a used-to-be-lively neighborhood in Naikap, Kathmandu. On the first Sunday, I woke up at sunrise and sneaked out for a quick run. I hate running. But the urge of moving and watching the city still half asleep was so big I didn’t really think about it. I guess I just wanted to fool myself into believing everything was normal. Well, it isn’t. But going out is not the answer. It is crystal clear now that we have to stay at home. It doesn’t matter if I am healthy and young: I have to do my part and not put others at risk, not compromise the weakened healthcare system. My recipe is one hour of trusted newspaper reading in the morning, a news update around 6 pm and, sometimes, talking with my friends on instagram. Once I have made my home safe (from germs and misinformation) I work on my routine like never before. I am finally getting up early, eating a healthy breakfast and exercising everyday. Most importantly, the excuse “I don’t have time” has expired. I have time to read all those books I bought and never opened, watch all the movies on my list, write all the books I have been playing in my head. It is not an easy time, uncertainty may keep you up longer than usual at night, but it is useful to meet yourself for real, to understand you are lonely but not alone. And to be sure that when everything is over, we will take care of the things that matter with greater consciousness. Surfacely observing, besides the negative response by the citizens, there are also some of the positive evidences seen; harmonization among the family members, controlled road accidents, etc. Understand basic information about corona virus disease (COVID-19), including its symptoms, complications, how it is transmitted and how to prevent transmission. Stay informed about COVID-19 through reputable sources such as UNICEF, WHO and national health ministry advisories. Be aware of fake information/myths that may circulate by word-of-mouth or online. STAY HOME, STAY SAFE! ----
Name: Suprim Jayana Grade: 6 School: Kathmandu Pragya Kunja School How I am utilizing my time during lockdown? So as everyone knows due to the epidemic of corona virus/covid 19 the entire world is in crisis. Almost all the countries have declared lockdown including Nepal. Everyone must be staying in their houses; you know spending time with their families and resting, while some may be working. But many people may think of this because you aren’t getting to go out in the holidays and I feel the same .But the government of Nepal isn’t wrong about the lockdown. As a citizen of Nepal it is our duty and responsibility to obey the government. I don’t know what you might be doing in this crisis but I am just having fun.
I am actually happy and glad that the lockdown took place .The lockdown just gave me a chance to improve my carom board skills. This also wouldn’t be possible without the internet problem that happened during the lockdown. The internet of my house had some problem, so I and my family and all who lived in my home had to stay for 6 days without internet. Due to this everyone had no work except to play with me. I played with my parents and an uncle who lives in the same house. Sure I lost to all of them but this gave me a reason to keep on improving my skills. During this time I finally stepped in to the kitchen and helped my mom make food. Sure I wasn’t that big of a help, but I will not give up on helping. The other thing I have been doing is practicing basketball. Neither of these would be possible, if the internet wasn’t cut off because you know everyone would be stuck to the internet including me. I also practiced my guitar and learned new things. But during all of this, I knew how miserable the life without internet and TV is.
During the remaining lockdown days and I am looking forward eagerly what’s in the near future for me. There have been many rumors in Social Media about COVID-19 and the asteroid that said to hit earth on April 29. But I learned that you should not believe in them and should just ignore them. During this lockdown, I learned many things but the one which I thought would be useful to me and all is that you should never give up and stay strong. So, I am just utilizing my time having fun and learning different activities.
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