By For those of us who had an exciting summer planned, the outbreak of the pandemic has made our summer holidays look rather bleak. However, being stuck at home doesn’t have to mean you can’t still have fun! Scroll down to read some of the things you can do to re-design your summer plans and still make sure it’s an eventful and happening time:
1. Movie Night
Summer is all about movie marathons with your friends or cinema trips with your girl gang. However, you can still continue your tradition of watching shows together right from the comfort of your own home! Netflix has introduced a new feature “Netflix Party”, which is an extension that needs to be installed on your web browser. Through it, you can pick your favourite movie on Netflix, send your friends the link to the party and watch it together, while texting and commenting in the side chat-box. It might not be the same as being physically together, but it comes pretty close!
2. Virtual Hang-Outs
Zoom is not just an application designed for school classes and meetings – you can also use it to connect with all of your friends in one place! You can make it a summer tradition to plan a virtual dinner every weekend. Plus, all our favourite games are available online: play Pictionary on Skribbl.io, Cards against Humanity here, a mafia game called Secret Hitler, and a bluffing game called Psych! Plus there’s also Plato which contains all of your classic games like UNO, Hold’em Poker, backgammon and more. Just hop on a group video call with your friends and get the party started!
3. Work On Your Resume
Work is a great way to occupy your time and learn something new which you can later add to your resume. This is the best time to update your CV, change the format and perfect it. Many companies are offering online internships which you can do from the comfort of your home. Look for internship postings online or just send them your resume. Before you know it, you will have enough work to occupy your time. Make the most of this summer!
4. Revisit Old Memories
If anything, the pandemic has blessed us with a lot of time on our hands. You can use this time by organising the pictures around your home according to the years or a specific family member. Many of our family home videos are also on old cassettes or even CDs – now is the time to convert them into files that you can store on your drive.
We also tend to sometimes underestimate our parents and grandparents when it comes their experiences in life – especially our grandparents who have wonderful stories to tell about the pioneering events of Pakistan history. Their accounts need to be heard, recorded and preserved!
5. Spruce Up Your Home
One can get bored with the regular arrangement of home furniture, but a little change can go a long way. By just simply rearranging furniture in a different way, you can change the outlook of the room itself! Adding a few plants, wall decorations, photos, or even re-painting the walls, can not only be fun but can also help add colour and vibrancy to your house. There are many tutorials online to help you re-design your living room, bedroom and even the outdoors. There are also step-by-step guides online on how to build your own furniture for the living room or upcycle your old ones – there is no time like the present to give your home the makeover you’ve always wanted!
6. Start A Journal Or A Blog
Journal entries may sound cliché, but during a pandemic it might prove beneficial because they will help you process your thoughts and feelings when everything around you is overwhelming. Writing a few words a day will be sufficient, as long as you write. If you already love to write, then it is time you get a proper journal to start writing. Who knows, maybe by the end of the pandemic you will have something worth publishing!
If journaling isn’t your cup of tea, then starting an online blog might be a great way to showcase whatever it is you love doing. Your singing skills, love for fashion or food, poetry, photography, or any other passion can be turned into a blog! The online world offers you few limitations on that front, and it’s a great way to discover yourself.
7. Acquire New Skills
This long period can also be used to learn new skills such as a new language; Duolingo offers free courses in any language, which makes learning a new one quite easy and accessible. Or you can hope on to Edx – a website that offers free online courses from even the most prestigious universities, including Oxford and Stanford. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about psychology or coding, now is your chance! Masterclass is another great resource and offers insight from the best in their field – Cooking by Gordon Ramsey, acting by Natalie Portman, writing by Margaret Atwood and many more.
8. Adopt A Pet
No doubt pets can become the life of a home quickly with their endless energy and constant love. If you think that you are able to provide a pet with a safe and loving home, we urge you to consider adopting a pet through ACF or Todd’s. They rescue and care for several animals and your gesture might change the life of an animal forever.
9. Indulge In Some Self-Care
This time is so unsettling and stressful for so many of us because of the uncertainty. But if there’s any time you should be investing in your self-care, it’s now. This can mean anything from applying hair masks to rejuvenate your hair, an at home facial to relax your nerves, or even breaking a sweat and working out. Adding meditation to your daily routine may also prove to be beneficial, even if it’s just for 10 minutes! It can help relax your body and mind, while also strengthening it.
10. Challenge Yourself In The Kitchen
Why have the same boring meals every day? Use this time to try some easy recipes and spice up your food palate! Food Fusion is a website and an application that offers simple recipes with delicious and promising results. Don’t stick to what you know – explore different cuisines and recipes that are out of your comfort zone. You might even discover that you have a liking for cooking!
11. Travel Virtually
Not all your summer travelling plans have been ruined! Many websites are offering virtual tours of different places, including museums. Bringing Africa Home is offering virtual experiences that teach you so much about the country, as well as offer insight from guides that have seen it all. The Museum of Flight in Seattle is also offering virtual tours inside its NASA Space Shuttle Trainer and Boeing VC-137B. You can also visit the Yellowstone National Park, The Louvre Museum, and much more!
12. Gardening
The act of gardening can be comforting and some say, even therapeutic! You could even develop a maternal bond with the plants you nurture. It’s a great way to care for our planet and learn more about nature. Garden Up is a YouTube account that guides its viewers on how to start gardening. Before you know it, you will be growing your favourite flowers, trees, and even dedicating a small area in the kitchen for the produce you’ve picked out from your little vegetable patch!
What do you think?
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