The life of stay-at-home teenagers

Shudha does not have to wake up early in the morning for classes anymore. Now she wakes up late and as a result, her daily activities also get delayed than usual. This shutdown has not left her any other option but be cooped up at home and sleep.

Staying at home is hard when you are a 17-year-old. Shudha, a first-year student of a renowned college in Dhaka city, is having a tough time.

"The school has been closed since March 16. Later, we were told it may remain closed till September if the virus does not fade. We sometimes do online classes from 12.30pm to 2pm on Zoom.  Since most of my classmates and some teachers have returned to their village homes, class are being cancelled most of the time," Shudha said.

Apart from her online classes and study, Shudha sometimes talks with her friends, listens to music, watches movies - much more than usual days. The new thing which has caught her fancy amid this lockdown is cooking. "In the past, I never had any desire to cook but now to fight back boredom, I have started cooking and found it quite interesting," she said.

"From this experience I have realised how to enjoy the simple things in life, such as going out with family and friends, eating together, gossiping. Now that I cannot do that, I am realising the importance of those things," she added.

Sixteen-year-old Tahsin is spending her days studying, learning guitar, listening to music, video chatting with friends, and gaming.

Regarding her online classes, Tahsin said, "I am not enjoying the online classes. The internet connection is often slow in my area and the video sometimes freezes. As a result, sometimes classes become very difficult to follow."

Tahsin loves to go out and hangout with her friends. But now she often goes to the rooftop in the evening because staying indoors all the time sometimes suffocates her. "I spend most of the time studying and video conferencing and chatting, but meeting physically is different and I miss that part," she said.

"Playing games, watching TV and series on Netflix is no more interesting since I am stuck at home for almost 60 days," Arnob, a 14-year-old boy, said.

"During normal days I mostly stayed outside of the home for studies, extra classes and outdoor games, but this shutdown has allowed me to stay close with my parents. I never helped my mother in her daily chores but now I am doing that."

To help his family and sisters remain active during the lockdown, Arnob sometimes plays indoor games, such as Ludo, Carrom, Chess etc. with them.