I started 2020 with a really bad cough that rendered me speechless for the entire month of January. Talk about spouses doing things together, my husband caught it first two days before the new year and I followed the day before 2020. Whether it was COVID-related, we would not have known as the virus had not reached us yet then.
For someone whose line of work is very dependent on oral interaction, not being able to talk was agonizing. Our university doctor prescribed a heavy dose of antibiotics for me and the hubby, but added that for me specifically, he would advise me to buy “plaster to zip my mouth.” He said it in jest, but looking back, that was the best way – by simply not talking at all!
Despite the precautions, I still managed to conduct and participate in two major workshops toward near end of January, but cancelled a Christmas lantern judging earlier as it would entail being out at night time.
Then, news broke out about the young couple from Wuhan, China who arrived — of all places in the world – in rustic, hassle-free Dumaguete on Jan. 23 and hied off to resort-rich Dauin, a half hour ride from the city, on Jan. 24. This was the couple’s timeline released after they had left the city after three days and became ill while in transit, with the male companion expiring thereafter in a Manila hospital.
As fate would have it, we were in Dauin to attend a barangay fiesta on January 24 itself, unsuspecting if some of the guests had been to the resort where the couple stayed. It was only towards the end of January that news about the corona virus reached the country, with Dumaguete hogging the national limelight as the place of origin of the carriers. Without much fuss, people in the downtown area wore masks as news spread of a patient admitted in a local hospital because of meningococcemia, but not COVID.
February was naturally eventful as I trained some Senior High School students in public speaking as candidates of their department to represent them in the Miss Silliman pageant in August. Classes went on as scheduled with some major events being held as part of final requirements for the semester. There were guests being interviewed for my two TV talk shows and I hosted Foundation University’s grand expo for its 71st founding anniversary.
In early March, our schedules became erratic with a constant guessing game as to whether major events would push through. Still, two campus beauty pageants managed to be staged with me as judge in both of them, still mask-free but already conscious of social distancing.
We had guests coming from Manila and Japan with an assurance that “they are okay, they have been cleared.” Then, as if on cue, out of nowhere, classes and final exams were suspended in all levels, the long-planned Juniors-Seniors Prom was cancelled a day before, university commencement and Honors Day were cancelled, travel ban and closing of borders was ordered, and the city was on “community quarantine.”
The ensuing months were excruciating, laborious, and uncertain. How long would the now “enhanced community quarantine” (ECQ) last? Will summer classes in the university be offered, especially for students expected to complete their requirements by then? Will the university declare a lockdown? Will we still have jobs?
As the events had proven, the summer term opened in April with full online classes. The university asked the faculty and staff to report back to work on May 4 following health protocols and trainings began for online distance learning for the incoming school year.
Classes for the first semester opened in August, online in all levels with the celebration of the 119th Founders Day of Silliman University done virtually, including the Parada Sillimaniana (which was cancelled, for the first time, last year because of rains) and the Outstanding Sillimanian Awards.
While we have missed out on many things that we used to do with our usual busy, hectic schedule in the past, we have realized that taking a breather and making time to smell the flowers, so to speak, is not a bad idea. It has allowed us to recharge, be rejuvenated, and reflect on situations that involved us and our relationships.
Despite the tumultuous year that was, love and hope still abound and the best is yet to come for us all. Happy and blessed new year to all our readers! – NWI
