We’ve asked some of our Asian Studies faculty, staff and students to share their experiences on working from home. Administrative Assistant Cindy Hah shares her tips for a soothing sleep, and the Korean quote that she finds particularly inspirational:
What are some problems you may have encountered during the transition to remote working?
- I found it very hard to focus on the first week of working remotely since it was very easy to find distractions. Since I am not living alone, my family members were also affected by my working schedule.
How did you cope with the problems to ease the transition?
- I asked my family members for my personal space at least when I am working. My sister and I sometimes had meetings at the same time and such so it was often hard to have my own space, however, we worked ourselves out and made a timeline. Making a timeline worked out perfectly and I could distinguish work time and not-working time which made myself to work much more efficiently.
What were some things you needed to get used to when working at home?
- I’ve became interested in online games. I was not really fond of multi-player online games since I am 100% introvert. However, since I cannot meet anyone during this quarantine time, I tried various ways socialize. Making friends online and meeting my real-friends online helped me forget boredom and even made me talk with friends that I haven’t spoken to for a long time.
Describe one new thing (skill, interest, pastime, etc) you may have learned during the quarantine time?
- I recently found it hard to sleep at night since my daily routine has been ruined. Sleeping over 2 AM became a regular bad habit. But, after hearing audiobooks, it helped me fall asleep, especially short calm novels. I am listening to The Little Prince recently and it is helping me a lot to sleep deeply, thinking of beautiful scenery. Please try out various audiobooks if you are not close to books, like me, or have a hard time sleeping at night!
Any medium (music, books, cooking recipe, etc.) you could recommend that you’ve found relaxing/entertaining recently?
- “Although the sky falls, there will be a hole.” It is the Korean quote that many Koreans think of when the situation cannot seem to get worse. It is similar to an English quote, “Every cloud has a silver lining”, which many people might know. The quote is saying that “There is a way out of every situation, however bad.” COVID-19 seems to be ruining everything, but if we bear through it, there will be a way that could help us all.
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?
- I know this is a hard time for everyone and everyone seems to be missing the sun. However, this is also a very important time to slow down the spreading of a virus. There are many ways to keep ourselves entertained inside. I’ve read (well, heard, since they are all audiobooks) more than I did in the last 5 years. I found a way to exercise at home. I began to cook more often and try out various recipes. You will likely find one too if you haven’t found so far. There are so many things to do inside besides holding on to your phone. Let’s hold a little longer and speed up the day that we can go outside and meet our beloved ones.
To read more Inspiration in Isolation stories, click here!
