Shama; A Pillar of Strength in the Community in Times of Covid19

Hi, Sharma. Thank you so much for joining me today. Um, I'm really appreciative of you, you know, taking out your time. I know you're a busy woman, so I really am grateful for, you know, you giving me this opportunity

Um, pleasure. Maria. Thank you

For, um, as soon as you mentioned what you were doing, I just couldn't help. And I thought, No, it's definitely something I'd like to be part of, so thank you. Glad

Thank you so much. All right. So as we mentioned before, um, when we were having lots of other conversations, but I think the main thing, I mean oh, well, let's start off with your introduction

If, um, if you just give a little snippet of, um, an introduction of yourself, that would be good. Yeah, sure. So, uh, my name is I am a tutor in the local community

In one of the centres, I specialise in health and social care subjects and child care related subjects. Excellent. Thank you

Um, so yeah. So, basically, today, we're just gonna have a conversation about how you think like COVID-19 has affected affected you affected. Um, I suppose the Asian community at large in your experience as well

So it would be really nice to hear from you I to be honest, I can't even believe a year has gone by. Um, can you? And I think it was in January when we started hearing a little bit about Covid and I have a younger brother who lives in China. He works in China, you know, and he was telling us what's happening time

We did not imagine for it to come Me here. I used to speak to my students, and I used to be telling them My brother's um there's this virus and let's just clean our tables but within, uh, it got closer. So we didn't we that it was a lot getting very, very serious

But, um, in terms of being different stages to it like, OK, you know, there there there was a lot of fear. There was a lot of fear. There was a lot of panic within people as well

There was a lot of confusion, Um, but I would say from this in November December time we found people that we personally started losing loved ones as well. That's when I think it hit everybody it's, uh, for I think, not just mine, but for a lot of people you can do to say that it had has had an impact on our mental well being and obviously physical well being as well, it has made a huge difference. Um, but yeah, I mean, I mean, how how was that with your brother being in China at the time

So, um, he's he's he's he teaches that, um, brother who was visiting him at that time. Um, so there was that little bit of a panic of what's happening. The brother who was visiting, he did manage to get back, um, and then with the younger brothers and, uh, been a lot more stricter, and he was constantly trying to video call us and telling us that this is really, really serious

Um, it's not being exaggerated in the media. How people are, um, you know, setting these rumours and we all need to be really, really careful. But I think it was, um, in March when we had the first lockdown and I still remember the day I had a feeling that I think we all have that feeling that there was something leading up to, um, a lockdown, didn't we? And that's when all the supermarkets and people were going getting all the buying

And I had a I I noticed a decline in the students attending classrooms. There were I did let students know if anybody feels that they having any you've got. So I saw that that massive, um, cut down in the attendance, the students

But then I think it was on the 23rd of March when it was officially and I was. Then it was like, Right, OK, we're going going home. Um, and at first it thought, OK, maybe it's gonna be about a week

Two weeks seemed all right. Like, OK, we're going to be safe, but, uh, stocked up on food and things just to kind of like, get us through for a while. But I think after then you start doing a Saturday Oh, don't normally get a chance to do tidy and go and do loads of jobs that we normally do and did all that

I think we tried all the recipes in the world. Didn't we, in the first locked down the entire nation did on social media sharing? Um, all these. We did

We did. And it was nice to spend time with the Children as well. But then it was like, Ok, now, now it started getting a bit boring, but yeah, it's been a bit up and down, and I now and I was speaking to a friend the other day, Mary and I said, Do you remember when we had Boris Johnson when he did the first announcement and there was something said about be prepared to start losing your loved ones? And that was last year in March

Do you remember? I Yeah, and I was like, Whoa, you know, this is a bit scary. But now, um, when I see I've known people personally lost family friends, not family friends. I've had friends who have lost students that I know personally, how it's affected them

But now it's like, Yeah, it was. It hasn't It's been awful. Um, in terms of my own personal personally, my own well being, I think the only way of kind of coped is when, um OK, you don't bother to go home and for a few weeks, and then I thought, OK, well, what we're going to do and Then I realised that working in the community I mean, I thought we still got a roof over our egg

We've still got food on the table, but straight away, I thought of a lot of families in the community that I usually work with. We used to come to the same time. It was like a second home to them

Um, they used to come and do courses. They used to be a lot of projects. They just made friends

And I thought, Well, how are they going to cope? Um, and that's when I spoke to one of my managers and set up a food bank last year and then started every month. That was still doing, and it was just to try to help people and set up a group chat for a lot of the students because they were a bit confused of what was happening. Um, I set up a group chat for a lot of people in the community who used to use the centre just to keep in touch with them

So they felt that there is somebody there just to give them updates. And if somebody just if they just want to pick up the phone and we use that group. Um, things like started doing things like healthy eating

Um, so there was every week I was doing, like, a hot topic. So things like healthy eating. And then there was one for e safety because there were Children at home that were using the computers a lot more And how to make sure that your Children are staying safe

There were things like fraud. There was a lot of frauds that were going on, and I think they still do a lot of online, Um, just make you doing a lot of awareness. Oh, my God, that's fantastic, you know, to to to set up something that is so like, intrinsic in that kind of, Um Well, it it was just so necessary, wasn't it? In a way, because it helped them be in connection with other people

Um, especially because if they're, you know, if they've been struggling anyway to make friends or what have you and then that was like their second home. Then all of a sudden, it's just gone. Where does that leave them? So I I think that's been quite good, but we've had a lot of elderly people that used to come and use the centre as well

And I remember up until the last day they didn't have a clue with what was happening and they were attending the English classes. And one of the tutors called me and she said, she said, I don't think they know with what's happening. Um, and I walked in and she said, Do you want to explain and tell them about covid and like and? And I kept and I was thinking about how come they still still attending classes? This was just before we went into the official lockdown and I walked in and I said, Um, so I translated and I said, Do you understand what's happening? And they said, No

They said, Is it a festival? Is it some people that have happened? There's people everywhere in the And I said, and I looked at the doctor and I said they actually don't know about the the virus and covid and what's happening and bless them. They were just, uh, absolutely, which shocked. And then after a short while, uh, how how does it look this corona, how how does it look? And I explained

We have sat here. I just touched the table. It could it could be here

I could have transferred it. And this is how dangerous it was. And that's when they realised

And they cut their cost for short and thought right, You need to get home. Oh, my days. Oh, my God, That's such a big responsibility as well

Like to to make people understand, like the the, uh you know how it can affect so severely as well. We have a lot of families in the community that I work with, um, who are here through the refugee or asylum. And there was one family who had just arrived in the UK just a couple of months, and we were still in the process of supporting them, trying to get the Children into getting their school places

So they didn't really have much of a chance to even settle. And they were just and then suddenly the country went into lockdown. So there was a lot of all that confusion they didn't have a TV, but trying to keep in touch with individuals in the community and reach out to people, Um, as much as what we can do

And I think that has helped quite a lot. Um, but just like simple things. Like I had one lady who said they didn't have a t VA t There was, um just like dropping off some games at the door for the Children just to keep them occupied

But I think the groups that we'd set up, um, they were really, really good. They were just a chance to just talk about a lot of things. Um, we talk

Did a lot of work on mental health as well, sharing tips on what we can do, Just keep ourselves techniques that we can't do, like, go out, go for a bit of a walk. Um, even the, um, the government guidelines changing it is trying to make sure that those were reaching out and giving those updates to people in the community as well, so that they've got access to languages that are, you know, that meets their language needs. Yeah

So you are, like, an information point Almost, weren't you? Yeah, but we've never had to do it because it's been on, like, face to face, hasn't it? Um, and then now it was like working from home. But to be honest, it it was good because it was exhausting sometimes because I've got my own Children as well, although we're doing all our own well being as well. And you feel a bit selfish sometimes doing that

But you could. There were other team members as well, who stepped in, and we all just contributed to Like, I when we were doing the food banks, we had, um, some young people from the community. They came and volunteered

They said, Oh, we'll we'll do the deliveries So we are a group of family and friends. When they heard we were doing this as well, they came. Stepped in, contributed

Um, there was somebody who was providing warm meals. Oh, that's amazing that throughout lockdown and then we had celebrations like Eid Festival as well, where it was a lonely time for a lot of people, wasn't it? Especially when you used to. For many, um, festivals Christmas people have not been able not been able to celebrate them like I normally would have had

So there has been a huge definitely, I mean, I mean Eve. If I if I tried to remember back like you say it was the night before. Really? Wasn't it that we everyone got told? Oh, it's locked down again

And it was like, Oh, well, what what's gonna be? I been out shopping. We'd all We were all prepared because we haven't seen our families for so long. Um, but I've spoken to people, and, you know, we just miss, like, hugging our friends

We didn't realise that, you know how we used to take it for granted meeting people and having a coffee. And it's we've kind of it has affected people a lot. So So how have you managed to look after your own mental health during all of this? Um, my own by working with just doing some voluntary work in the community, trying to keep myself busy

Um, I think, but I I'm not going to say, you know, it's been all good. I It hasn't. It hasn't

Sometimes it I I I have had times where I can't carry on anymore. I'm used to being there, seeing people face to face. We have that routine getting meeting family friends

Um, what groups and doing the community work that we do, uh, to try to. That's helped quite a lot apart from that. I think it's only been, um, the last couple of months start trying to go out for walks a bit more

Um, but yeah, I do find that we are a little bit limited, but on the other hand, trying to have a look at the good side of things, it's like a lot of us, like our our have neighbours and usual, hello, eyes. But this was a time since lockdown where I found got closer to neighbours, Um, so that people, the kindness or the kindness in people where they're there to support each other, just knocking on people's doors, asking neighbours like if you need anything, the elderly Look, I'm going to the supermarket if you need anything, and that was nice to see people getting together. Um, I've got two teenage Children there at home as well, and trying to be there for them as and making sure supporting their well being and their studies from home as well

So it hasn't been really easy, but we've just had to cope, haven't we? And how to get through that time And Kirkley, we've had high rides. We have, haven't we? And I remember for a short period of time, we were allowed to start teaching classes face to face and as provided that we have social distancing. And, uh, when I had a message come through that somebody who a good friend a lady would would know for many years had passed away from COVID

And that's when we realised you know what it is getting closer and closer. It's just pick picking people up. You know who could be a Yeah, So yeah

God, Yeah. It's definitely goodness you've had a lot on your plate. I mean, like, you say, it's been the case for everyone, really, hasn't it? Everyone's been in similar boat

Um, but I mean, from what it sounds to me like, is that you really managed to find an avenue through, like, community work and and, you know, reconnecting with those Perhaps that you it was just like a little way of hello and bye kind of thing, so that there's definitely been a lot of, like positives coming coming out from that as well. Um, in and amongst all of the kind of grief it appreciate a lot of things I think? Yeah. Yeah, I think it made us appreciate a little bit

I think things we were going so fast. Um and I like I constantly working. We've got the Children

And now it's like, OK, you know what? It's been a little bit of a step back. And luckily, technology has been great with some friends. Uh, rather than before

It used to be just a quick call and looking, you know, I see you then or sometimes months would go by, wouldn't fine. But now what I did start to do with, uh, like, it's fine. Let's just have a video call

Let's just see how you do it. I know it's not the same. Um, but just be taking that time out and just be there for others as well and time to connect a bit more with each other

Oh, that's fantastic to hear. That's really good. Thank you so much, Emma, for sharing

You know, your whole experience and all of the things that you've been going through. Thank you. Sorry

I could go on. And that's good. That's good

I'm so glad, you know. Um, but yeah. Thank you again

So much for that. Really, really valuable. Thank you

Thank you very much. No worries. We stop the recording, then