Ups and Downs During The Pandemic

I am sure everyone has a story to narrate based on their experiences during Covid-19 Pandemic. I too have my story with both pleasant and not-so-pleasant experiences which I am sharing as part of Season 1 of Podcast Pioneers, a Toastmaster Club dedicated to helping members become podcasters. I would like to take you back to the month of March of 2020, where everything was going great with lots of dreams and goals to achieve. I would like to take you through the Ups and Downs of my life at the onset of the pandemic. UPS ● As soon as the Pandemic started, I started to work from home, since that was the new normal. I used to drive 3 hours every day, as my office was 55 miles away from home. I could save this time and dedicate it partially to work, and spend more time with family. ● Started online learning and gained a lot of new skills, completed two certifications, and was also able to complete my MS in Cybersecurity during this time. ● Started daily exercising and walking for an hour, which helped to keep me fit and healthy during this period. DOWNS ● Applied for a Permanent Labor application, the processing got delayed by more than 12 months and got denied due to the strike of the pandemic. Consequently, I had to start preparing to leave the country by October 2022. I realized that my countdown had started. ● Shifting from the US to India was a big challenge. It was even more painful for my kids. They were finding it difficult to leave the school, their best friends and to get adapted to the changes. ● I had to leave the most passionate project I was working on in the US, due to my Visa status. I felt terrible leaving my close friends, and of course, will be missing the in-person toastmaster meetings. I miss you Edison. I miss you my buddy, my favorite Honda CR-V car. Back in India, my family was so happy to see us back home. They were overjoyed that now we would be there for them. Seeing their unconditional love, I started breathing fresh air and getting new hopes. Life is a never ending journey, I am sure all these were great learning experiences to me and I love to thank all my family, friends, colleagues and the Podcast Pioneers team – Bipin Chandriani, Project Manager, Su Brooks for creating graphics for the podcast and Neerja Purang for integration and publishing of this episode. See you in the next episode