So, it has been around one year since the first lockdown happened in France due to COVID-19. This past year felt long but short at the same time. It felt long because no one knows when it would end, but somehow that 'being in a limbo' feel makes the year felt short too. This is the longest ever in my life that I've not seen my family, they are in the UK and I'm in France, it feels so close yet so far due to restrictions, and Brexit didn't help either. I've not gone to eat in a restaurant for the past year, although I have gone out of the city once, to Marseille, for a short trip during Christmas holiday. The boundaries people set for themselves seem to vary, but for me, I try to keep my mask on as much as I can, if I meet up and eat with people it would only be outdoor, but I don't mind being indoor with other people with my mask on. Honestly I would love to invite people home for dinner and whatnot, and to chill and eat with people indoor but I guess I just have to be patient, I don't want to not able to see my family but then ended up getting the virus anyway through something that I could have avoided.
I still have not found a job since I've moved to France, and whilst there are times where I struggle with not having a job, I'd like to think that it has also made me grow as a person. I keep thinking of things that I could do, and I try to think of this as an opportunity for me to do anything I want to that I would otherwise not have the time for if I had a job. Mostly I try to get my creative side going. I did gardening (at my balcony), paint-by-number, cross stitching, punch needle, drawing, puzzle, and sewing. I tried to run regularly, at least twice a week, 50 km per month, and I also started trail running. I cooked so many things I have not cooked before; pempek, siomay, bakso, cimol, cilok, pastel de nata, banana bread, tiramisu, cheesecake, martabak telor, tahu gejrot, any many more that I can't remember at the top of my head. I volunteer at a couple of organisations. And of course, I try to improve my French by having a French class every day. So really, this time actually allowed me to discover things that I wouldn't necessarily be doing if I didn't have the time, and that in itself is a good learning process (at least I think so anyway).
Honestly, I think moving to another country is something that people should do if they were given the opportunity. I thought moving to France wouldn't be too difficult since I moved from Indonesia to the UK already, but it wasn't as easy as I thought, mostly due to the language. But it did allow me to grow, to challenge myself. Maybe it is true what people say, you don't grow much by being in your comfort zone!
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