Korean Expat Community for National Disasters

More than two years after COVID-19 was detected, will the habits and behaviors we acquired because of the pandemic stay? I think many of them will. Now that we are approaching that light at the end of the tunnel, primarily because of the vaccinations and herd immunity, people are starting to get back to their everyday lives. These everyday lives, however, won’t be the same as our pre-pandemic lives. First, people are already more cautious about their health in general. The prevention behaviors like hand washing, sanitizing, covering one’s mouth when coughing, and even mask-wearing are also still practiced by many. In Korea, the mask mandate outdoors may have been lifted, but a lot of people are still keeping their masks on. In one interview I read online, I person mentioned that because many people are already out and about, she thinks that it is still best to keep on her mask to prevent catching any sickness. Aside from these health protocols, I believe that people have gained new health habits like incorporating simple outdoor activities (walking) as a breather after a long day at home, trying out easy exercises that can be done at home and being mindful of eating habits. Next, we have become online dependent. Nowadays, the term “everything can be done online” seems so normal because restrictions have somehow forced us to navigate our way through everything online – school, work, shopping, grocery, banking, and even socializing. Our daily essential activities can easily be accomplished with one tap away from our phones. Digital developments have certainly accelerated to cater to the needs of the people during the pandemic. Lastly, no one really expected that because of the pandemic, we couldn’t physically meet our friends and loved ones…even worse we lost many of them. For us expats, many were unsure when they could finally go back and visit their hometowns. Good thing that recently we are already starting to see our families again and meet our friends more regularly. After two long years of restricted interaction, I think by now we have learned to value relationships more. So, let us make sure to enjoy every bit of time we spend with each other… Because when times are uncertain, the most important thing we can hold on to and draw strength from is the relationship we have with the people around us.