A Child’s Diary: Idhika Diwan’s Corona Lockdown Days

May 18, 2020

There was a time when I used to help my mother in the grocery store, not anymore. And I miss Fruit Buffet this year.

There are lots of changes in lockdown. Whenever we cough or sneeze, we need to wash our hands by soap. There are sanitizers everywhere – at front and inside the stores. Temperature checks take place before entering markets. Every time when we go out, we need to wear new masks.

I do not like wearing masks. It makes me sweat a lot. But I still need to wear them as it protects me.

After we come back from outside, we need to change clothes. Usually in grocery shopping, I could get out of the cart anytime to help my parents. When my mom is busy, I helped her in weighing vegetables and fruits. But now, after covid-19 began, I cannot get out of the cart to help my parents. We cannot go to restaurants in lock down. We still can have home deliveries. I have become lazy in lockdown.

Our province in Thailand has best fruits like Durian, Mangosteen, Longkong, and Rambutan. Every year, in summer season, fruit buffets occur in farms. We can pick fresh fruits from trees and eat it. I love gulping those fruits. Normally before covid-19, we use to go to fruit buffet.  On this Saturday, we went to a fruit farm to eat fresh fruits. But this year, we could not eat fruits there. We buy fruits from there and eat at home.  

I like helping my mom to make flour for roti. Whenever mom makes flour I like to put water. But sometimes I put too much water! I find it funny but my mom does not. She needs to add more flour. In these days, I help dad to make bed sheets also. I make a pillow sandwich. Pillow is the bread, bolster is like sausage and blanket is cheese.

One evening, I saw birds tweeting closely, from my back yard window. My mom spotted them first and showed them to me and my brother. There were 4 black birds. I thought that the cute smallest bird was a baby bird. My younger brother shouted and shooed them away.

In lockdown, we started listening to podcasts. My favorite podcast is Laurie Berkner’s song and story kitchen. I like it because how can a man be a friend to a pig who can talk? Listening to story and cooking are my favorite activities. The podcast tells a story while cooking, so it is perfect for me. I like the way Laurie says bye to her pig at the end of podcast.

• “It’s time for me to go,
• but I really want you to know.
• That you’re the one I miss,
• so I am blowing you a great big kiss.
• Blow a kiss, MUAAAH…”