To start off with, I moved to Thailand in 5th grade, not knowing what the later events could propose. I got accepted into Brighton College Bangkok, a British international private school in Bangkok. It took me about a year to settle into the school, to form bonds with my teachers and make some new friends. I joined a variety of clubs and all the sports teams the school had to offer; I found myself to be quite happy; I made some lifelong friends.

Then, during the summer of 2019, I went back to Spain, Dubai and England (to visit family). Everything seemed normal; I enjoyed traveling around the globe. I even got to reunite with some of my best friends I had growing up in Dubai. 

Journeying back to Bangkok was again, awesome, and I settled back into school. This was my 2nd year at Brighton College and I was entering Secondary School - the equivalent of 6th grade. Nervous, yet excited, I thrived through most of the year with my friends by my side. 

However, in September of 2019, the first case of Covid was discovered in Wuhan, China. Since China is closer to Thailand than the US is, COVID-19 was probably on news headlines in Bangkok quicker than in Florida. 

This brought fright and tension to inhabitants of the world. Everybody was in a panic. The bustling city of Bangkok was shut, becoming a desolate, empty city. This became the case for about 7 months, in the first wave of the virus. It was scary to hear that my school was proceeding to be shut. I thought that it was going to be the end, as there was bad news all over the world.

Fortunately, I could still participate in school, online school. Hearing this was disappointing, because it limited seeing friends and just the general public. FaceTiming and Whatsapping became the new normal. I had to join google meets every morning at 8 am. This was an alteration to my sleep schedule, adding one more hour to it! For the first few weeks of online school and quarantine-life, it was strange staying indoors all day. So, as online school became more repetitive, and the cases slowed down, I went outside into the community of HABITO, and went for bike rides and walks with my parents. Unfortunately, my friends didn’t live near to where I was situated, so that part was quite disappointing. On rare occasions, I went to my best friend Celine’s house, and we hung out; watched movies and played some golf in her backyard. 

My second year of Brighton College was an interesting one; there were new experiences. But, for the most part of it, I felt like there was something missing. 

In 2004, the island experienced a catastrophic underwater earthquake. The tsunami wiped out a number of islands along the coast of Thailand and Banda Aceh and devastated thousands of people. When we visited the island, there was a tsunami museum that was open to the public, and we learnt more about the 2004 occurrence. 

After this incredible summer, the school year was approaching again, and I was curious to see if going back to school was an option. 

I was extremely excited to start the second year of secondary school; Year 8 (7th Grade). 

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to get back to school in person. I had really missed my bunch of friends and my teachers. Reuniting with everybody was absolutely splendid!

However, this did not last long, as lockdown was back again. Mask-wearing and social distancing was, again, Thailand’s new normal.

Unfortunately, this meant school was online again. Hours and hours of every day were spent at a desk, staring intently at a computer screen. 

While this was the case for quite some time, I spent my free-time outside, playing golf, basketball, soccer, and running 5 kilometers most mornings. This schedule was quite efficient, as I was doing school online, and exercising when I could. 

This brings me to saying that lockdown wasn’t too bad. There were some times where I got worried or upset, but everybody has and had their down days! I learnt not to worry, and here I am, writing to you from my desk in Florida.
You may be wondering, wow, this girl has traveled the planet! This is true, and somehow I have managed to stay resilient. But in times like these, it is best to stay calm and push through, because no matter the circumstances, it is best to be happy with what you have.