The Top 10 Things I’m Looking Forward to Doing After the Pandemic

Who wants this awful pandemic to come to an end? Who wants to go out and do the things they love again? I'm definitely one of those people who wants this gruesome era to come to a halt, so I can connect with my friends and family and do the things I love doing without "walking on eggshells".

I despise being told to "stay home and social distance" and to walk on eggshells worrying that I am going to catch the virus. I'm so tired of this amount of fear, anger and frustration that I am constantly feeling. To help me get through the darkest of days, I constantly imagine myself visiting my favourite places in the community, visiting with friends and family, taking the public transit, returning to work, graduating from college, travelling and leaving my apartment without being obligated to wear a mask. I feel a great sense of anger and frustration, but me feeling "too negative" isn't going to ameliorate things either. It is what it is and I need to just do the best I can to overcome this challenging and traumatic period for myself, my family and friends.

Even though I enjoyed lockdown to "embrace the introverted side of me" and to not hurry to get anywhere, I also miss the "gregarious and extroverted side of me" that loves to go out and explore the community. I miss going out to eat with my family and friends and I constantly picture that everyday. As I spend the majority of my time rejuvenating at home, I'm continuously thinking of things that I don't only want to resume doing, but also to start doing. For me, post-pandemic life should be a fresh start and an opportunity for me to try new activities and visit new places that I have not visited before this pandemic conquered the world. I'm sure all of you are feeling the same way as myself. To get some post-pandemic inspiration and ideas of things to do and consider for life after the pandemic, check out my list of the top 10 things that I want to do and enjoy.

Visiting the public library

Since I was a teenager, the library has been my second home. Whenever I visit the public library, I feel comfortable, relaxed, engaged and intrigued. It gives me an opportunity to get myself out of the building to do meaningful activities like homework, reading, playing computer games, surfing the Internet, studying languages and other things without any distraction or stress. I love being at home, but sometimes I just need a change of scenario and the library is a great place for me to have an escape, especially during yucky weather days or the winter months. Sadly, the pandemic didn't allow me to enjoy those peaceful and engaging moments that I love having at the library, so I cannot wait to get back into those once this is all behind me! I want to visit some of the library branches that I usually visit, as well as the different library branches that I've not yet visited.

Going bowling with friends

Since I was a child, bowling has been a leisure pastime that my friends, my family and myself enjoyed. My dad and I used to visit the local bowling alley every Saturday night, while my brother would get together with his group of friends to play video games and enjoy other fun activities. It was a great opportunity for my dad and I to bond, while staying physically active and doing something productive. As I got older and was able to go out with my friends, I started making regular visits to multiple bowling alleys with friends. During my early college years, I attended a couple of intercampus bowling events, where registered students from my college and other campuses would visit the local bowling alley, enjoy some hot food and enjoy each others company. I'd love to get together with my friends and go bowling again!

Visiting and spending time with my brother and his pet cat in Israel

I definitely miss Israel, which is like my fourth home away from home. The last time I've been to Israel was in the winter of 2018, and my older brother currently owns an apartment in the neighbourhood of Ramat Gan in Tel Aviv, Israel. Since November 1 2020, my brother owns a female cat that he got from his friends backyard. He and I decided to name her Ofra, after the famous singer Ofra Haza, who unfortunately died from AIDS in 2000. My brother and I are constantly thinking about and discussing my trip to Israel, which will most likely be in the spring before I return to work. After months of not travelling and forcing myself to abide by the safety rules that were put in place, I can't wait to just get a break and enjoy some time away from home. I'll get to spend time with my brother and cat, as well as enjoy the beautiful Israeli weather!

Exploring parks that I have never been to

Before the pandemic started to occupy the world, I've had the greatest opportunity and dream to explore as many parks as possible during the spring and summer of 2020. That being said, there are heaps of parks within my province and region that I've yet to explore and discover once it's safe to do so. I live in the York Region area of Ontario, so that is a perfect excuse for me to visit many parks that I've not been to. I also go to my old neighbourhood in Toronto from time to time, so I want to explore more parks within the North York and Etobicoke neighbourhoods of Toronto. I love just being able to get away from home and take a little day trip to different neighbourhoods of the Greater Toronto Area. It is one of my favourite weekend activities. I'm also an amateur photographer, so I'm continuously travelling to different parks and neighbourhoods to take photographs on my iPhone, to post on social media.

Dining out with my friends, family and by myself

I love going out to eat! I enjoy cooking at home, nevertheless I enjoy the occasional break from cooking, especially during the weekends and holidays. As another form of self-relaxation, I love going out to eat by myself, as well as with family and friends as a way to unwind and socialize. Cuisines such as Caucasian, Middle-Eastern, Japanese, Indian, Vegan, Thai, Vietnamese, Italian and South American are my top favourites! I'm not big on fast-food, unless I'm with some of my "fast-food junkie" friends. If I do go for fast food, I'd get a dessert or snack, as opposed to a meal that's not substantial. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with my friends and family to go to our favourite places like Steve's Restaurant, Sunset Grill, Me Va Me, Mandarin Restaurant and Boston Pizza, as well as Chaihana, Restoran Malaysia and Maple Sushi. I'm also down to trying new restaurants in multiple areas of the GTA. Although I've been to my first restaurant on Saturday since the start of the pandemic, I look forward to visiting more restaurants as more places become safe to visit.

Going shopping at my favourite stores

Since I was as young as six years old, I've always enjoyed physically going into a store and shopping for things that I wanted. As a young adult living independently, I'm no different! On the weekends, day offs and early dismissals from school, I enjoy going to the malls, international supermarkets or small shops to buy art supplies, imported food products from Asia and Europe, books, clothes, souvenirs, puzzles, notebooks, holistic food products, and other essentials. I love just being able to physically enter a store of my choice and pick whatever I want and be happy with it! I've not been into a store since December 19 and I'm looking forward to in-person shopping once it is safe to do so! Luckily, I can enjoy in-person shopping at my favourite stores again, however I look forward to shopping without wearing a mask and social distancing!

Working out at my local gym

I'm extremely grateful to own a gym membership to the Schwartz-Reisman Centre gym that is literally next door to my apartment building! Whenever I go to the fitness centre, I love using the treadmills and express bikes where I can play cycling games. When I don't feel like using any of the fitness equipment, I love doing aerobics and different classes like yoga. The people who work at the fitness facility are really friendly, warm, knowledgeable, hospitable, professional and passionate about what they do for a living! A couple of my friends also attend this gym, so I'd bump into them which is such a pleasure! Once this facility reopens and I feel more comfortable visiting, I'll get back into my gym workouts on and off the equipment!

Travelling

Since I was a little girl, my love for travelling has stayed with me. Growing up with adventurous parents who loved the odd escape made my love for travel grow into adulthood. I've been to several places that I'm excited to return to, however there are a bunch of new places that I want to travel to, like Russia and Germany. I'm constantly picturing myself travelling to old and new destinations after this awful pandemic is over and done with! My brother and I are planning a trip to Russia for the spring of 2022, when things will be safe and sound again! He and I were supposed to go in December 2021, but we don't want to travel in the insanely cold weather. I think it will be worth the wait! I want to return to Florida to visit my grandmother and all of the favourite attractions, hotels and restaurants that my dad and I often visit.

Returning to work

I was supposed to return to Camp Robin Hood last year as an activity specialist, but it was impossible because of the pandemic. The camp that I'm employed at did not open, despite day camps being allowed to open with public health measures. My place of work was a unique circumstance and the camp directors did not feel comfortable opening for the summer of 2020. I miss my campers, colleagues and the facility itself, but it also gave me the chance to take the summer off and do more the things that I love like hiking, doing puzzles, reading and playing video games. I also enjoyed not having to wake up at 6 am to shower and catch the bus for 7:30 am!

This summer will be a better summer, because I'll be returning to work! Due to the level of uncertainties in camp settings, I won't be returning as a staff member as Camp Robin Hood, which makes me feel both sad and happy. I feel content about this, because it will give me a chance to try other jobs to build my skills for future employment. I plan to obtain my food handler's certification online, and then look for work in the fast food or retail industy and it will most likely at a facility closer to home. In addition, I will of course continue writing and publishing awesome Vocal stories and poems for all of my friends here!

Graduating from college and entering the workforce

Technically, I would be graduating in April 2021, which is literally four months away from now. That being said, I would be graduating in the fall of 2021, because I am taking a reduced course load. I'll miss the college, my classmates and professors very much, but I'll also be excited to start the next chapters of my life which is to enter the workforce and launch my own health and wellness business. To name a few of my ideas on my current list, I want to have my own health food store/nutrition coaching firm, leisure lounge, metaphysical healing store/coaching firm, wheelchair-accessible indoor playground or a painting studio where people can come in and paint. I have so many ideas of places I want to work at, so I'll be spending much of my time sending in job applications to different businesses, with having the idea of relaunching my in-home bakery at the back of my mind!