Life in Year 2020 – by 11-year old Aysal Waheed

How did my life change last year? Drastically! That doesn’t mean it changed in a negative way. Yes, there are lots of things that I wish were different but there are many things that I’m grateful for last year.

In 2019, I used to go horse-riding, do some ice skating, eat at my favourite restaurant, and meet up with friends every now and then. Now, it’s totally different. I can’t do horse-riding anymore because the stables I used to go to are now closed because of Covid-19.

I really miss horse-riding because I adore horses and it made me feel at home. I can’t do ice skating anymore because the rink is closed as well.

I can’t eat out or go see my friends but I realize that I would be putting a lot of people in danger if I did that and I’m willing to make a small sacrifice.

My life has changed in a lot of positive ways this year; I used to spend a lot of time at school or with my friends and barely had time to spend with my family. Now, I spend this time baking with my mother or, playing board games with my sister. My family and I have also enjoyed watching a lot of movies. I’m thankful that I’ve learnt a lot of skills such as baking, acting and editing during the past few months

Due to COVID-19, I have the advantage of taking classes online. I took an online acting course from India, by “The Playbook.” I learnt acting and it helped me develop my confidence skills. I also made a lot of close friendships. I increased my self-confidence and learnt leadership skills from a fellowship program, organized by an institute in Pakistan.

Another skill I’ve always been interested in is Artificial Intelligence. I’m thankful that this year I had the chance to join a workshop organized by Pakistan Science Club in collaboration with “Ideas Technovation Lab.” It was organized to help girls identify problems in our society and provide solutions using artificial intelligence. The workshop itself was really informative and fun but the best part was meeting girls my age who were interested in artificial intelligence as well.

All the online courses I’ve been a part of in the past few months have been about completely different things but what they all had in common were the supportive and encouraging teachers. Every class that I joined, I felt motivated and blessed to be a part of. The teachers made sure that we all had smiles on our faces. That automatically radiated positive energy.

This year, I had the opportunity to participate in many online competitions such as a Public Speaking organized by Gavel club India, A public speaking competition organized on social media, and an Art competition. I’m grateful to have secured top positions in these competitions.

This year was a lot different than I expected but, I’m grateful for all the new skills I’ve learnt, the people I’ve met, and most importantly I’m glad my family and friends are all safe.

Aysal Waheed is 11 years old and studies in 6th grade. She love horse riding and basketball and also enjoys public speaking, acting and editing and public speaking.