Liuying's Story

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Since I came to Melbourne in 2019, I have been deeply impressed by the diversity of this city. After moving to the City of Monas, I found that the university had a diverse community of people, which piqued my curiosity. In the city where I used to reside, I always felt like an outsider amongst the masses, but here, I sense a more inclusive atmosphere. During my time at Monash College, my friends and I attended an impressive Queer Event with the theme “Flora”. At the party, I saw many people wearing various floral and plant patterns, and I had the opportunity to meet many friendly and enthusiastic people. Despite being shy about making new friends, I had a very enjoyable time.

I find it challenging to initiate social relationships with others proactively. I prefer in-person interactions over online socialising when it comes to making connections. However, after the outbreak of the pandemic, social activities were restricted, and my opportunities to meet new people and maintain social connections gradually decreased. This left me feeling disappointed, as my social circle became limited. I longed for a more diverse group of friends to feel less disconnected from the world.

While the lockdown period in Melbourne wasn’t particularly lengthy, we still had to minimize our social activities during the pandemic. Most of my time was spent on online studying and engaging in leisure activities. Maybe because of the lack of a consistent routine, my sense of time gradually became dull, and I started working at irregular hours, losing my sense of time’s rhythm. As the outside world slowly returned to normal, I found it increasingly challenging to return to my pre-pandemic state. Unbeknownst to me, my mental state had been affected during the pandemic. As I attempted to readjust to everyday life, I experienced a sense of misalignment, and my mental health likely deteriorated, impacting my ability to control my behaviour. I used to be enthusiastic about meeting new friends and socialising, I now rarely participate in activities with them and feel sluggish.

Fortunately, with the support and help of my friends, I have gradually regained my work status and have been striving to live a better life over time. I hope that, like me, those who struggled during the pandemic can also regain control of their lives and find fulfillment once again.

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自2019年我来到墨尔本后，我对这座城市的多样性印象深刻。在City of Monash，我发现学校里有许多个性鲜明的同学，这令我感到十分新奇。在我原来所在的小城市，我总是感觉与大众格格不入，而在这里，我感受到了一种包容的氛围。就读于Monash College期间，我和朋友一起参加过一个以“Flora”为主题的鼓舞人心的酷儿活动。在活动上我看到许多身着不同花卉和植物图案服饰的人们，也认识了很多友好热情的人。尽管我很羞于结交新朋友，但我还是在那里度过了非常愉快的时光。

对我而言，很难主动和别人建立社交关系。相较于在网上认识朋友，我更适合在现实生活中去结交别人。然而，疫情爆发后，社交活动受限，能认识新朋友和维持社交联系的机会逐渐减少。这令我感到非常失落，我的社交范围同样受限了。我希望自己能够拥有多样化的社交圈，这样可以让我感觉不会游离在世界之外。

尽管封城的时间不算太长，在大流行时期，我们仍需尽量减少社会活动。而我的生活大部分时间都花在了上网课和自由安排时间上。由于失去了日常的规律活动，我对时间的感知逐渐变得迟钝，经常不分昼夜地做事，时间的节律感变得混乱。当外界的日常生活逐渐恢复时，我发现回到以前的状态需要付出更多的努力。在疫情期间我没有意识到自己的精神状态有受损，直到试图重新适应日常生活时感到一种不匹配感，从而精神状况不佳，对自己行为的控制能力有所下降。以前我很积极地认识新朋友，和朋友们一起玩耍，现在我很少主动参加活动。整个人似乎有些迟钝了。

 

万幸，随着时间的推移和朋友的支持和帮助，我逐渐恢复了工作状态，并努力生活。我希望在大流行期间像我一样受影响的人都可以重新找回自己的生活。