We’ve asked some of our Asian Studies faculty, staff and students to share their experiences on working from home. Chinese language teaching assistant Aydin Quach reveals how to best get into the “productivity” mindset when working from home, plus ends with the most calming quote you’ll read today:
What are some problems you may have encountered during the transition to remote working?
- Over the course of the last few weeks of class, I have come to notice my attention span is arguably worse than that of a goldfish. I was so used to my routine of commuting to a designated space for learning that I found it incredibly difficult to work and learn at home — a space I associate with relaxation and rest.
How did you cope with the problems to ease the transition?
- I found that the best option was simply to make a space in my home that was designated for learning, which I made to be my balcony! I also try to get some sun and fresh air whenever possible in order to calm my nerves and focus on school.
What were some things you needed to get used to when working at home?
- I miss working out at a gym 🙁 Thankfully I have some dumbbells at home and some resistance bands so that I can do some exercises. If you have an open doorway at home, it might be worth it to invest in a pullup bar so that you can do some free weight exercises. If you don’t have weights at home, you can stuff all those textbooks from school and do some pushups and pullups!
Describe one new thing (skill, interest, pastime, etc) you may have learned during the quarantine time?
- I have rediscovered my love for biking in the past few weeks! I try to go biking or running every other day around the neighbourhood. It has given me the chance to explore my neighbourhood and Vancouver!
Any medium (music, books, cooking recipe, etc.) you could recommend that you’ve found relaxing/entertaining recently?
- I haven’t had much time outside of studying for leisure, but I do make an effort to call my friends and play video games with them! (League of Legends, Pokemon, Smash, Civilization V/Vl, etc.)
During this time, have you sought/found any words of wisdom or quotes from your language area/culture/background that you have found to be particularly comforting, and could share if so?
- “留得青山在,不怕没柴烧” → So long as the green mountains are preserved, there will be no shortage of firewood
What I take out of this quote is that there will always be another day, and as long as we are patient, there will be good things that will come even during times of crisis. I hope that everyone can support each other during these hard times. We can make it through this and we will be even better than before!
To read more Inspiration in Isolation stories, click here!
