CRAMPS

August 20, 2022 Opinion

The assurance of survival came after two rounds of the China-manufactured vaccine, coupled with another two doses of an American brand, enabling one to surge unto the world with a renewed hope to stay alive. Midway into the pandemic, restrictions eased and life slowly went back to the old normal, trying to replicate the lives we lost.

The everyday life of each is now regaining ground and coming together, the lowly jeepney, now allowed to take off
the constricting barriers and go on full capacity, has maximized the opportunity for full income after years of complying with physical distancing and dwindling daily collections. Full capacity means, filling to the brim of passengers, regardless of smell, making the use of facemasks a blessing. After years to being trained to distance from others, the cramped space of the jeep can make you feel paranoid, seething the closed space being cramped beyond physics.

The traditional jeepney scene is as it was in the beginning, thwarting its end, notwithstanding the entry of modern jeeps, which really look like a mini bus. Session Road on Sundays seem like a version of Session Road in Bloom, teeming with warm bodies, all wanting to do everything all at once. The pandemic laced Sundays at the City’s main
thoroughfares saw lay walks with far and in between crowds, not with the surge of tourists, the once a week treat for locals has become a spectacle of sorts.

Living with the threat of Covid hanging over our heads is tough, it a mind game at times and only the tougher ones get by with the paranoia of getting infected, or you infecting others is a daily risk everyone takes these days.
School has begun with a partial resumption of face to face classes, Students are back in the city in the comforts of a boarding home with 5 other roommates in tow.

University lodging homes are back in business, but all live in the hope they comply with safety guidelines and not
sardine the poor learners into a room. The new normal is in. Businesses are opening. The small eateries are
serving their dishes for a hoard of hungry patrons. The bus companies have resumed full travel, making places accessible once again. The thought of international travel can now be explored.

The whole world is waking up from the lull of the pandemic, like a new life has begun, for some who have been blessed enough to continue their lives. As we venture into the new normal, let us all take this moment to remember everyone that we lost in the past three years, our friends, relatives, loved ones and even those whom we hate.
Our cramped space is now without them.