How our projects changed when faced with a worldwide pandemic.

So, there I was, Mum of two young children, mature (apparently!) student, muddling along listening to the Better Lives lectures and trying to fit in my studies whilst the children were at school or asleep and then BANG! The Coronavirus hit the whole world like a juggernaut.

Suddenly everything had to stop. Shops closed. Bars and restaurants closed. Social events had to be cancelled and then the universities and schools closed. Everything had to be re-thought and planned out. I knew that I had to stay at home with my children and start home-schooling but how was I going to manage my studies with the new role of being a teacher? 

I began thinking about the lectures and how some of the themes were so relevant. We, as a country now are consistently thinking about the wellbeing of others. We’ve seen people come out of their homes to clap for the NHS. Supermarkets re-arranging their opening hours for the elderly and true acts of kindness that boost morale.

I’ve taken notice of how the government is trying to be socially responsible, by taking drastic steps to ensure our safety. The better lives lecture on sustainability has been a subject I wrote about in my earlier blogs. When the lockdown period began, I noticed that people were writing on social media how it made a difference to the environment and how the world was being given a chance to ‘breath’ again. 

The university reviewed our courses in the Easter break. University staff hastily put plans in place so that learning could be delivered online and although a lot of the courses are workshop based, this has been achievable.  I chose, Make Up Breakdown which was able to be delivered online. It was strange at first not being in the classroom but I soon adapted to it. We covered the topics, ‘Imperfection’ and The Fashion Mistake’. The lessons gave a few hours respite of the daily routine of chores and children! A chance to still be creative for purpose and not focus or worry about the state of world for a short while. I learnt to think about beauty in a wider sense. Someone can be called ugly but they are not ugly to everybody. During our process of learning online we had to use what was available to us at home. I chose my daughter as a model and used face paints and make up to create my look. I reflected how the media like to criticise celebrity mums who put make up on their children and call it ‘sexualising’ them. Perhaps this is true but it’s also true that messing around with make-up and my daughter was fun and an activity we both enjoyed.

I have learnt so much in the last few weeks. Not just in my studies but in life. I think one of the main lessons alongside the Better Lives lectures was that we are all so adaptable to change. The Better Lives themes and lectures have never been so relevant to us. We must all stop, listen, look around, plan and change. The world has divided us into countries, continents, race and cultures but when a world-wide pandemic hits, no matter what divides us, we all become the same. We are one.