Thinking some altruism would make COVID-19 would go away.......WRONG

At first it started with feeling like I wanted to gouge out my eyeballs from sitting at home for what then felt like decades. But no, it was actually just over 2 months and life was getting crowded and monotone to an insane degree, I needed a shake up. Hello, my name is Marco and this is my story.

It started with not doing research to much into volunteering oportunities, since I have someone close that had the opportunity to volunteer abroad for a year and explain the basics. I managed to put together a CV and apply to all sorts of different projects all around Europe and I told myself that the first one that contacts me back, that's where I'll go, not that much of a rigurous system of choosing, because dwelling on multiple choices doesn't help me personally. Its exactly like a multi answer question on a test, I usually go by the process of eliminating the ones that don't feel right, and leave the most plausible one as the most optimal response. So I wanted to avoid that all together.

And here I am, 3-4 months later, in the Frydek Mistek, Czech Republic, as a volunteer for Základní a mateřská škola Staré Město, and in quarantine. Yes, the perfect concoction for procrastination and revival of bad habits. I wanted to be here and feel helpful to people, and that stil happens but all of it online feels like I am operating with one hand behind my back.

Life here isn't that different from back home, which is Bacau, Romania. It's actually surprisingly simillar, the only downside is the lack of my czech speaking abilities. Trying each day to learn some pronounciaton, it has its ups and downs, mainly due to the lack of interaction with other people around here, thank you covid!

What keeps me in check is time, I try to be mindful of it and fill it up with as many things as I can, mainly productive and feel good things, and that doesn't include marathons of 7 seasons of a TV show, no. I'm just trying to push my willpower to the extent that I am able to stop any activity if its starting to decline in either productivity or positive emotion, because with everything, there comes that moment where each activity flatlines, either work or hobby, and its time for a change of scenery.

This whole time we're stuck is a test of willpower of individuals. It feels like its a catch 22, you can be the most productive now that there is no constraint of movement and places where you have to be, but at the same time your at home where most people are exposed to vices galore. Its a tough thing to navigate for sure.

What's the bread and butter for me is sleeping time and wake up time. Mine are pretty fixed, tuck in at 10:30 P.M or as close to that number as possible.Wake up at 6:30 A.M. and get the day going. Once awake, lingering in bed doesn't help me at all, its not sleep, its not rest, its laziness in its purest form. With my night time curfew I try to not have my phone near me when I tuck in for at least the last 30 minutes. Its been scientifically proven that the blue light your phone emits, especially if its the only light you're exposed to, decreases the quality of your vision long term, and makes your sleep unbearable. So I would recommend not having the "gateway to the whole world" anywhere near you for 20 minutes before you grab some shut eye.

Other than that, I keep busy with readin, writing, and improving my speed, wealth of words and knowledge. And the most important one is stuffing my brain with new information, because if its idle, its stagnating and that's no bueno.

All in all, we should try to appeal to the better angles of our nature, and stay safe out there.