'I was doing my GCSEs when the Covid pandemic paused the world - and learned one important thing'

Everyone had their own unique experiences of the Covid-19. Some were happy to be working from home and not having to commute every day, while others spent their days in sorrow as they witnessed their loved ones being perished away by such a virus. 

I was in my last year of secondary school, King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy in Frankley, Birmingham. 

The tension and stress of GCSEs was the first time in my life that I was overwhelmed, which, ironically, has become routine now that I am going into my 21st birthday. Being repeatedly told by my teachers that these exams would "dictate your future" was a statement that made few of us lose one or two nights of sleep.

I remember it like it was yesterday. In late August and early September, there were hints about a virus going around in China and living 7500 miles away, you naturally don't think much of it.

Then January came, and the Chinese government officially announced for the first time that it was cancelling its Lunar Year due to the spread of the virus. Suddenly, these rumours became louder and louder, eventually creeping into homes, schools, workplaces, and the general public. 

Weirdly, people's attitudes shifted. They became more awkward and, at times, even aggressive towards things deemed normal before the news broke out, such as giving out hugs, handshakes, and any regular human interaction. Suddenly, we're in March, and at this point, the virus had spread well all over Europe and most of the world.