I’ve always believed in dreaming about the life you want and then planning accordingly to make those dreams come true. This year, it’s been a bit different. I don’t think I could have ever imagined living through a pandemic. After all, wasn’t 2020 meant to be the year of clear vision? It was not clear AT ALL. With nationwide-induced lockdowns, life as we knew it was thrown into the air and spun around in endless circles of curfews, restrictions and isolations. Now almost 4 months later, life is getting back to some degree of normalcy; or at least, as “normal” as it can be. To get a sense of how we’re all feeling with this “new normal”, I spoke to 5 womxn about what life looks like for them as the lockdown eases.
Eniola, 25
Life for me is mostly unbalanced right now. I got a new job as the lockdown eased so I’m back at the office full-time. And while I’m grateful to be on the move once again, being at home for such a long time helped me discover that I completely enjoy not doing anything sometimes. I’m a big multitasker and juggling multiple things at the same time is right up my alley. But during the lockdown, I didn’t have as many freelance projects and I enjoyed being idle while it lasted. It allowed me to rest. Now, I’m going to the office every day, being reminded about how much of a zoo Lagos is. But thankfully it’s not something you ever really forget. It’s like riding a bike.
Darasimi, 24
I was already working from home before the lockdown so not much changed work-wise. The only thing is that the rest of my family was stuck at home as well, so I didn’t have as much “me time” as before. But the lockdown affected my business quite a lot. I had to reconfigure my production and delivery methods, and even increase my delivery fees which didn’t sit well with some customers. The prices of almost everything went up and I’m really grateful I’m still in business. On a positive note, I took the time to learn more about marketing and sales for my business! Now that the lockdown is being eased, my production is getting back to what it was. I have the opportunity to try out the new strategies I learned and find ways to push my business forward.
Tami, 24
Now that life is getting back to “normal”, all I can think about is how I definitely don’t miss my previous stressful life. I used to leave home at 5:45 am to get to work at 8:30/9:00 am. I didn’t realize living in Lagos could be so peaceful. The lockdown felt like a holiday, particularly because I live with my parents. Even though we fought a lot during this period, we learnt so much about each other and I think they respect me and my decisions a lot more now. I go to work 3 times a week, twice a month now but I don’t see myself going to the office 5 times a week ever again.
Anita, 29
Right before the lockdown, my mum had to leave me after spending 6 months with me for Omugwo*. I was worried about having to put my son in a crèche, but then the lockdown came. It gave me the opportunity to work from home and spend time with both my child and my husband, and discover that I enjoy cooking. Now, I go to the office twice a week. My husband and I have an arrangement on who stays home with the baby. It suits us both for now. It’s a slow process; getting back into the workflow, remembering to leave home with your facemask and hand sanitizer and generally trying to stay safe. Keeping my son safe is a top priority for me. Despite the tragedy of the pandemic, I’m happy I learnt new things like prioritizing things before spending money, making investments more seriously and focusing on a side hustle.
Simisola, 28
My business took a big hit because of COVID-19. The lockdown restrictions made so many things difficult to accomplish. And even now that it has been lifted, not much has changed. If anything, the dollar rate skyrocketing has made things even harder. Can I blame that on COVID-19 or just the disarray of the country?? I’m not too sure I have the answers. I’m an artist so I was already working from home, but I do home installations too and that’s the side of my business that got hit. Adjusting to the new rules that have been set as lockdown eases is taking longer than I’d like and is quite stressful. However, in the middle of all the scrambling around trying to do damage control, I’m thankful I learned to appreciate the time we have here with our loved ones more.
*Omugwo – a Nigerian tradition for women who just gave birth where their mother and/or mother-in-law comes to spend time with them to help take care of the new mother and baby.
