Stocking up on skills for survival

CHENNAI: As a Masters student in France, I recently moved to Paris for an internship. I was in the second month of a six-month internship when the French government announced a nationwide lockdown. It’s been a weird few weeks but, I’m beginning to get accustomed to it.

It’s quite challenging to be productive at home when you have got the liberty of nobody scrutinising you. I spent the first week of the lockdown by binge-watching TV series and films but, thankfully, that phase is slowly fading out. Thanks to the work-from-home, I’m able to kill a majority of the time, but there are days when I find myself completely free. So instead, I’ve decided to brush up my coding skills and learn the French langauge. But I have to confess, the attempt has not had the greatest of starts. 

I think it’s also essential to pick a new interest or hobby to help you get through this boredom and I’ve found that in cooking. Since all the restaurants are shut, and I’m living by myself, I’m the only source for my food. I’ve been looking up recipe videos on YouTube and giving them a try. 

I would say I’m getting much better at it now. It’s quite hard to believe the situation that we’re in, something dystopic that we’ve only seen in movies and tv shows. These are tough times, but I’m just using it for some self-improvement and introspection, things I wouldn’t find time for otherwise. 

—Vigneshwar K