LIFE AS IT IS

P eople have now resumed international travelling, although cautiously. With the emergence of a new, more contagious variant, Omicron, however, countries are placing new restrictions on travellers, making international travelling even more uncertain, more hectic. If you are planning on going abroad, plan well and plan well ahead of time.  The Daily Star link I have recently been to Bangladesh on a two-week trip to see my family. An earlier summer travel plan had to be canceled because of a COVID-19 lockdown that was imposed on Bangladesh to stem infections and deaths. In our case, it cost us a cancellation fee at the time. Because change is the only constant now more than ever, bear in mind that your travel plans may have to be changed or cancelled in the fluid situation of the world we live in today.  COVID-19 test You need show proof of a negative COVID-19 test to travel internationally. Please check with your airline and also read the entry requirements of the country you a...

T his fall, schools around the US are welcoming children for face-to-face instruction despite a new COVID-19 surge. My daughter was six months into her first grade when a state of emergency was declared and our schools were closed down. From her bedroom, my daughter completed her first grade, began her second grade, and finished that, too. Now after one-and-a-half years at home, she has gone back to school to start her third grade. She could not contain her excitement when I gave her the news of school reopening in person! If you are a parent, you know how much you and your child are waiting for schools to reopen, because being away from school and their friends has been tough on our children — the pandemic has left their little world in a disarray. Many children, who have started school in this pandemic, do not even know what a school really is. "I can’t wait for the COVID-19 to go away! My son, who is in playgroup, attends his school online. He does not even know what an actual ...

Another Ramadan has arrived riding on the wings of time. Another Ramadan has come amid the pandemic. No religious congregations, iftar get-togethers in 2021, just like it was in 2020 - a quiet Ramadan for me and my family here in the US. My husband and I got our first COVID-19 jabs the day before Ramadan. My body tolerated it very well, but my husband was down with mild fever and body ache, although well enough to fast. We were planning on visiting Bangladesh in June to see our parents - we even bought the airline tickets. But with cases rising in Bangladesh, the hope of traveling there now hangs by a thread. It is now more than likely that our flight will have to be canceled. It has been more than one-and-a-half years since I met my parents, my brother and his family. Those of us, who have chosen to leave “home” and make a new home away from home, have our own struggles. My life is better here in the US in many ways, but no one place can make you absolutely happy. There are opp...

The day the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the world as we knew it changed in the bat of an eye. We do not know when this pandemic will be over, so we have more or less accepted the situation. However, this new normal will significantly impact the way human lives are going to be post-pandemic. TELECOMMUTING This pandemic has taught us that in the age of technology, working from home is not an unachievable reality. Yes, the work-from-home model comes with its unique and inherent challenges, but it is also saving us our commute time and cost. There is also no need to dress for work and we can also create our own custom environment at home. As more and more people and companies accept and adopt this model of work, the offices of the future might occupy smaller spaces, because a significant percentage of the future workforce could be working remotely. The competition for prime office spaces in urban commercial centres is expected to drop. PEOPLE FLEEING ...

"For a working mother to be able to successfully blend and balance work and family lives, the key ingredients are planning, planning, and planning. Even during normal times, this involved setting out a basic routine for myself and the kids for weekdays, and even weekends," said Nadia Tabassum, regional manager at Unilever Bangladesh, and mother of three boys aged 11, 7, and 3. "I thrive on routine and for me, a single unplanned day can truly create havoc!" So, one of the biggest hurdles that working mothers like Tabassum faced, especially in the early days of the pandemic, was the complete meltdown of all established routines. The Daily Star link Career women have always shouldered a heavy burden of responsibilities and social expectations, long before COVID-19 was a thing. A working woman was already juggling work, family, and life, but at the onset of the pandemic, their responsibilities suddenly increased. Overnight, a working mother became a teacher and a childc...

While so many of us are at home to  “ flatten the curve,” or in other words, to reduce the spread of the COVID-19, our healthcare professionals are fighting long, grueling hours on the front lines. Have you ever wondered what a typical day for a doctor at a hospital is like during this pandemic? Have you wondered what kind of life they are living right now, or what profound challenges and struggles they are facing in the battlefield? We have i nterviewed two physicians, who have been fighting on the front lines since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.  Dr. Shapur Ikhtaire Physician & Internal Medicine Specialist,  Bangabandhu Sheikh Muj ib Medical University (BSMM U) On June 24, Dr. Shapur Ikhtiare visited his in-laws to meet his wife and only son, who was soon to turn three. He had not seen them in more than six weeks. Physicians like Dr. Ikhtiare, who are fighting on the front lines, self-isolate themselves to avoid the possibil...

March 15, 2020 I have always followed good hygiene practices, or so I thought. However, after the World Health Organization began to share proper hand-washing techniques following the coronavirus outbreak, I realised that I seldom washed my hands for at least 20 seconds, and a lot of times, skipped the backs of my hands. Am I grossing you out? But did you know that 4 out of 5 people do not wash their hands properly? I did not, until recently. However, living and working in pandemic conditions are teaching us new things every day. At the time of writing this piece, the total number of confirmed cases has topped 182,000 with over 7,000 deaths globally. The schools in my state, Delaware, have been shut down. My husband's workplace has asked its employees to work from home. Bars, taverns and restaurants were ordered by the state's governor to halt their dine-in services. From today onward, the food joints in Delaware, Pennsylvania, California, New York, Michigan, Maryland an...