Things To Do in Lockdown | Study With New Zealand

You are stuck at home and all you are doing is watching TV, craving McDonald's and waiting for things to go back to normal. How about we try to find some normality in this abnormal situation.

So, here we go, these are my top 10 things you can do in a lockdown:

I finished reading the book Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I picked up that book last year and I never got the time to finish it. I felt pretty great finishing my book and it motivated me to start another one!

I got so bored with staying at home that I decided to go running 4-5 times a week. It felt great to get out of the house. You know what felt even better, running on the road with no cars, no noise and all solace. I could hear the birds and crickets chirping. One time, I went for a run later in the evening and it felt good to run under a beautiful night sky with stars shining. Try it, it’s fun. I use the Nike Run app to motivate me to run.

While the world is going crazy on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, take this time to take some time off social media. I try to put my phone on silent for 3-4 hours a day and spend it with myself. It feels good.

Take this time to start a new TV show which you didn’t have time to watch earlier. I am usually busy with work most of my week and I don’t get a lot of time to start a new show. It’s addictive! Take the time to watch a show or two, you deserve it.

This might sound boring but now is a good time to watch some documentaries and increase your knowledge of the world. I watched some documentaries on Hiroshima Nagasaki and World War 2. Guess what? Documentary-watching is not that bad - it was much better than Netflix on some level, haha!

Don’t waste time or get demotivated due to the global situation. A lot of companies have opened their internships and grad programs. Think of this time as a blessing, now you have time to think properly and submit an amazing application to your future company.

This lockdown gave me time to call people who I have lost touch with due to time difference, busy schedule or laziness. This is a time to connect with long-lost friends or relatives.

This might sound silly but this lockdown gives you enough time and boredom to take on a new project. Why not think of a business idea and work on it? Maybe by the time you get out of lockdown, you could find potential investors or pitch to future clients. Let’s get productive!

This lockdown has made me think about how we live in an unpeaceful time. This lockdown has motivated me to continue to help people who need help and raise awareness of my cause. I am volunteering on an initiative to raise awareness about the severity of tuberculosis in North Korea. I started a Facebook page and connected with lecturers around the world who specialise in TB (tuberculosis). What motivates you?

Think of all the things you can learn from this pandemic and what you want to do once life resumes back?

Join a non-profit or your student association, give back to the community!

Believe it or not, I ate mostly vegetarian food in this lockdown. I missed my mother’s homemade vegetable curries and I decided to take up this challenge. I miss vegetarian food and I could never go back to it as I was lazy and I didn’t know how to cook Indian vegetarian curries. I am good at it now! I experimented with eggplant, okra and cottage cheese. I am so proud of myself. Vegetables provide so many nutrients, vitamins and fibre and I am glad I could go back to a healthy diet.

For official COVID-19 information for international students in New Zealand, see The coronavirus: what you need to know.

Check out some more stories from international students in lockdown in New Zealand and get their tips for staying connected and well.