The Great COVID-19 Museum

The gigantic, glistening building with its gleaming windows stood in front of us. The students stood in a queue talking nineteen to the dozen as the line slowly entered The Great COVID-19 Museum. All eyes fell on the incredible lifelike statues and the brilliant paintings depicting the global crisis three decades ago. For the students, this trip was an unexpected journey, but for us teachers, it was like going back in time and experiencing it all again. A pair of curious eyes looked at me and asked, “Was this really true?”

I smiled and replied, “Yes.” As we went outside for lunch, the students begged me to narrate my own tale of the pandemic. “There’s nothing better than a first-hand experience.” I took a deep breath and combed through my memory as I described what the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic had brought to humanity.

“It all started with seemingly insignificant news reports which soon became the talk of the town. My father, a government official, was getting reports each day, and what seemed like an unrealistic situation soon became a bitter reality. The news was covered with horrible scenes of cremation grounds, people losing their loved ones, some not even getting a chance to conduct the last rites of their departed family members. It was really miserable.”

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