By Akanksha Upadhyay
Photos from PTI by Ravi Chaudhary
So, a lot happened during the week gone by – professionally. I was feeling like shit, doubted my abilities on various counts, beat myself up thinking it was a bad decision to change companies during the pandemic and had a groggy, disoriented mood the entire week.
Kept thinking about how life was so much better before lockdown and before the pandemic struck us. I wanted to go back to resuming office – Work from Home was both comfortable and boring.
In the same week, I was asked to resume work from the office. But joining the office meant a Covid test. And Covid test meant going to a hospital – something I detest. It didn’t help that I wasn’t confident about being negative – despite following all the health guidelines to the T.
My father kept telling me how his friend or friend of a friend or some relative’s friend had this discomforting feeling after a Covid test. He said how people panic thinking of the test and that I was so brave to go and get it done.
I was given 100 instructions to remember when I go to the hospital – mask, face shield, sanitiser, not touching anything, not talking to anyone – Mother went a step ahead and suggested I should wear a PPE kit.
But I was scared – thinking of seeing so many people together, getting tested, wasting time. Anyway, I went to a hospital recommended by my office. Got a receipt and kept asking for directions to the Covid testing booth the entire time.
A humble booth had been set up outside the hospital premises so that other patients don’t get affected. I was given a form to fill – some 6-7 pages, I think. Name, address, which doctor recommended me, my family detail, if I had more than 2 bedrooms and bathrooms in my house, if I had a caretaker – etc, etc, etc.
After I finished the form, I was told to wait for 5 minutes as someone was getting tested. It really took 5 minutes. When I entered the booth, I saw two women – head to toe in a PPE kit, smiling at me. I sat down and they did a swab test – from the nose and the throat.
My father’s friend or whoever it was – was right. It was very discomforting to say the least – the feeling of a swab inside your nose and throat but it lasts for a fraction of a second. I sneezed, though!
Also had tears in my eyes all along! They weren’t happy tears.
The report came out negative. I was happy. The week seemed better.
I joined the office – and then realisation struck – Work from Office was neither comfortable nor exciting anymore!
P.S. If you are feeling any kind of discomfort or any of the symptoms that are associated with Covid, go get yourself tested. I cannot emphasise how crucial it is.
The writer is At Random’s Editor – a woman with myriad tastes – both in life and in writing.
