This year has been surreal and confusing for the whole world, including for me, a teen boy. The future is unclear. I was at boarding school in the United States where people were downplaying the severity of Covid-19. I did not realise how critical the situation was and I continued to enjoy my campus life like any other grade nine student. Then, all of a sudden, we were forced to evacuate our campus, and I had to return to Hong Kong immediately. I was naive, and felt the move was too drastic and unnecessary. As the pandemic dragged on and the school year continued with online classes, I struggled to face reality. Everything had turned upside down. I woke up when everyone else went to bed. I was stuck in darkness for three months while everyone else was attending their online classes in the sunny California morning. I had my dinner for breakfast in front of the screen. I had my tennis training at sunrise which I used to do at sunset. It was challenging to keep myself motivated as every day seemed like the other. Not only did time and space get mixed up, both my mind and body were confused. Sacrificing real-life social interactions for online school was frustrating, especially when you are fighting an unseen enemy. To make things worse, US President Donald Trump even barred foreign students from attending online-only classes in universities, though that plan was later dropped . This disordered life made me realise I have been taking happiness for granted. Wondering what the future holds has created extreme sadness and stress in my life. Covid-19 has changed human life. It is unclear when and if things will ever go back to normal. I believe God uses pain to teach us, so every cloud has a silver lining. How to live well when facing this crisis and trying desperately to turn the upside-down world the right side up is a lesson I have to learn. I know it is time for me to grow in courage and have faith. Aden Yung, Shouson Hill
