Class E - The End of Week Chillout Class
It can be fiction or it can be non-fiction.
The title:
"Virtual Learning"
Exactly 100 words.
Write and post two of them if you feel like it.
I will respond to - and edit - every one of them.
I will end up broadcasting some of them in the UK in 2021 to commemorate the first anniversary of the COVOD-19 lockdown there.
I will let the authors of the selected stories know.
Try to close my eyes and know what I'm going to the next day. But this morning is different, I woke up and feel bored with my routine. Then something pops up on my phone, a thing that I waiting for a long time until I forgot. Well, I got into my favorite fashion school online course. Starting that day, this whole routine breaks and it might be a good thing since every day I just watch some movies and making TikToks, not that I proud of that, but well at that time, I do not have much to do.
ReplyDeleteEveryday feels the same. It gets harder to distinguish between Wednesday and Friday. They all blur together like the cartoons I watched religiously at 5pm. When I try to recall those memories, they present themselves in a haze. These few notifications keep me grounded though, most times. Messages from friends asking how I'm doing, cheering me to work hard, and of course; that weekly Google Meet notification from Sir Adrian reminding me it's only one class left before the weekend. So I wash my face, brush my teeth, and say hello then goodbye two hours later. Thanks for everything, sir!
ReplyDeleteLately, everything seems to be so different. We cannot seem to escape the anxiety the uncertainty is bringing up. The world seems to come to a halt. What will change? Or will anything change? As an introvert, I managed to adjust to the new normal. However, of course, starting my university life with virtual learning has its challenges, especially socially. Days, weeks, even months have passed. Along with it, online lectures and digital exams. I used to enjoy spending my time by myself. However, the continuous and stagnant routine seems to be driving me crazy. Am I the only one?
ReplyDeleteLife seems to be simpler. As I woke up, there is no need to rush and spend hours to get ready for the day. Starting a day is as simple as opening your eyes, that’s all you need to do. As months passed by, I am attacked by the feeling of boredom. Being stuck at home for months? That’s no more than a story to flex on my future children. Eleven movies, eight books, and more than twenty trials of baking recipes can’t solve the problem of boredom. I hate to admit it, but I do miss the busy world.
ReplyDeleteToday’s Monday and it’s the final day of my exam which happen to be Physics, my most “favourite” subject of all time and it is held online because of the pandemic. A couple of days ago I broke up with my boyfriend and its saddened me a lot because I love him so much. The day of the exam I just realized I haven’t studied; I cry the whole weekend just thinking about him and when we did the video checking I shout why do I have the worst luck of all time and I realize my mic was on
ReplyDeleteIt was the beginning of the math class when the familiar sights of my lecturer and classmates who I’ve only seen from the shoulders up started to appear on my screen. I was pretending to listen to the lecture when the power suddenly went out. Since I only had 5% battery left and no internet connection, I rushed to pack my things and wore my mask so I could go to the café right across the street. I sighed in relief as my laptop went back online after I bought the overpriced cup of coffee to get the Wi-Fi password.
ReplyDeleteIt was a Tuesday morning, and I had three classes scheduled for that day. I checked the time on my phone and it said 9:58, exactly 2 minutes before my second lecture of the day. I clicked the link to the meeting and I saw that it hasn’t started yet. I wait in patience, because like they say, patience is a virtue. I waited until it was 10:30. None of my friends talked about this issue in our chat group so I assumed that the meeting just hasn’t started. Turns out I haven’t turned my internet on the whole time.
ReplyDeleteRue had reached her limit of absenteeism. She must attend the next and final class, or else, she won’t be able to take the exam. With a determined mind, she woke up earlier than usual, got dressed and booted the computer to join the lesson. The meeting was reviewing a few materials from the weeks prior, so there wasn’t much for Rue to take notes of. The class, then, came to an end. She did it. She sat through the last lesson of the semester. But, then, it hit her. She forgot to fill in the attendance list, didn’t she?
ReplyDeleteMy eyes were greeted by the sunlight that pierced through my blinds. Even in my hazy state, I wondered, why was it so bright already? But then it hit me. My left hand instinctively grabbed my phone, and my eyes widen as the big, white numbers said 07:47. I jumped off of my bed, knocking my phone in the process. To add to the unfortunate chain of events, my laptop’s battery had drained out throughout the night. Oh well, at least my increasingly repetitive routine had something different today, even if it involved me being late to my morning class.
ReplyDeleteIt was Friday, the day where some people took it as a weekend. I woke up very early to do my morning exercises and finished it by enjoying a calm friday morning vibe. At Friday I only have one afternoon class to attend to, which is Mr. Adrian's class. Knowing I only have 1 class, I started my day by playing some games in my PC until noon, then I stopped to had a lunch break. I feel very very sleepy after all of that food. I woke up at half past seven and realized i had missed my class.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry Mr. Adrian.
DeleteThanks for the dubious teaching games :D
DeleteThe alarm jolts me awake. Great – time for my 7 am class. After pulling myself free from the comfort of my bed, it’s breakfast, a shower, then finally time to sit myself down in front of my laptop. The lecturer’s monotonous speech like a lullaby to my ears, the breeze of the morning lulling me to go back to bed – and I almost do. But I must resist. Almost a year of this, with no hope of going to campus anytime soon. Semester one has given me back aches, tired eyes and a diminishing determination. When will this pandemic end?
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ReplyDeleteTaylor's eyes are glued to her laptop screen. She scans the presentation as the lecturer explains about the importance of business ethics. Scribbling a bunch of words on her paper in slow motion, she can't even focus on what she's writing due to her lecturer's slow nature of speaking. But many of her friends have noted that “despite her old age, Mrs. Adams will shout at anyone's face if they mess up", she recalls. She rubs her eyes, fighting the urge to sleep. "Aaaauaauagghh". She yawns. 'That felt better'. Suddenly, Mrs. Adams goes quiet before asking, "Who was just singing?".
ReplyDeleteAlarm ringing, Joe had to wake up at half past six because there is a class at seven. He went straight to the shower, expecting to not get sleepy during the class. That plan had fluffed, he still struggles to open his eyes after tons of water bursting to his face. Five minutes before the class start, he went to the fridge to get his trusty cardboard milk that he drank straight out of it. He drank it aggressively, spilling some in the process. Luckily, he manages to enter the class. Ten minutes in, he is riding unicorns. Nighty night.
ReplyDeleteAnother morning, my boring life just began once again. Virtual Learning, I have been doing this kind of routine for almost six months now, and I'm already sick of it. So this morning, I choose to do an online class from a different place. My usual habit throughout the day, if I had to attend a boring class, is to login to the platform, turn off the mic and camera, and just leave the computer alone since my teacher never called me. However, today is a different day, my teacher suddenly called me in the middle of my game tournament.
ReplyDeleteNobody knew what could happen behind those closed doors. The COVID-19 pandemic had confined everybody in their rooms. Yes, it had been a nightmare for the world, but mostly for Tina, a young girl who lived with her violent, drunken father. She realised her home was a living hell. Despite what she went through, her strength was admirable. She survived every day with new bruises on her body but never stopped to show up in every online class. She stood firm, albeit the immense pain she'd endured. She urged to cry for help, but nobody could help her, but herself.
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ReplyDeleteEveryone thinks the hell had come up to earth since the pandemic greeted. But not to Markus, Hell? Hell no! This is heaven!, he thought. And probably this is one time life event, where else could you learn something new, while having your warm breakfast at your comfy bedroom, and wearing a two days old shirt and a shorts?!. Of course You need to shut the camera to do so but you get the point, and it’s not cheating if you don't get caught, right?. He then joined his online class while gobbling the hash browns her mother had prepared.
ReplyDeleteVirtual learning, the thing that Jonas do from Monday until Friday, seconds turns into hours, hours turns into days, days turns into months, “for how long would I have to endure this kind of learning!” he said to himself. Jonas doesnt even know half the people in his online classes as all he sees are digital faces on his laptop screen. Jonas struggle to distinguish days as he only stayed in his room during this pandemic, the only real friends that Jonas have in his current situation is bella and carla, his twin pet guinea pig whom he loved most
ReplyDeleteClasses in starbucks, sleeping in zoom classes, accidentally turned on your camera while you look awful or even shirtless, forgetting to mute your mic when your mom is trash talking about the lecturer, and attending two webinars at a time are some things that one would not even think could happen in normal learning situation, but these days, those things must have happened in our college life in this pandemic era. Also, skipping class would never get easier. But, if there is a bright side to this situation, I would say at least I don't have to shower before classes.
ReplyDelete"It's been harsh months for an extrovert like me. Constant loneliness always haunts me. Why should technology exist? Can we pretend it's the 1918 influenza pandemic? Deadly but less of superficiality. We might be physically ruined, but it sounds better than mentally destroyed." That was what she wrote before she took out her own life. If only I sacrifice some time and be a good friend for her, I could save her. She wouldn't feel that lonely. If only I care enough to ask, but can you blame me? All I knew was that she's happy with her dream university.
ReplyDeleteCollege life has been really difficult for Ihdar Brodo. All he does every weekday is stare at a screen and his bedroom walls. What at first seems as a 2 weeks holiday has become a year of suffering. Though he's been through a semester of college he doesn't think that he had learned anything. College has become a burden that he has to cope with everyday. All the plans he has made the year before have been ruined by the pandemic. People always say that college life is gonna be fun, but not for him. Not right now at least.
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