For many Ugandans, last year’s hit song by BigTril “Parte after Parte” was not just the theme song but a perfect description of the Kampala’s thrill-seekers’ lifestyle.
A few months down the road from 2019, Kampala’s social scene has had a complete turnaround as the party fever dwindles with several nations worldwide, including Uganda preaching of social distancing/self-isolation as a safety measure to fight the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Social distancing and self-isolation has become the new normal.
Concerts like Johnnie Walker Isaiah Katumwa’s annual Jazz concert and the much-anticipated Eddy Kenzo Festival 2020 have been cancelled altogether alongside other major shows like the Uganda-France Friendship Week’s Kassav Concert, Tusker Lite’s Kampala Night Run, Tugende Mu Kikadde, Blankets and Wine, etc. that were pushed several months forward due to the global pandemic.
Revellers are now seeking asylum at home, resorting to merrymaking with friends and family as the situation is monitored.
For those who are feeling like couch potatoes, here are the some ways to making this quarantine time at home fun, entertaining and worth your while;
Make the kitchen your new office
Feeling idle or ‘redundant’ with work cut-off? The kitchen can become your new workstation.
This is the time to learn and create that scrumptious meal you have been wishing to prepare. Make use of those tasty delicious recipes that you have been putting off for a while and treat your taste buds to some delightful homemade cooking.
Tik-tok?
There is a Chinese video-sharing app called Tik-tok that several social media users are now joining as a way of fighting the boredom. It is a fun social networking app where users create their own content by uploading videos while lip-syncing, singing, and dancing or just talking.
Celebrities both local and international like Chris Brown, Kevin Hart, Justin Bieber and our very own Vinka, Spice Diana, Winnie Nwagi, Rachel K are now sharing entertaining videos for their fans’ amusement. You could join that as well.
Read a Book
Now is the perfect time to open up those books that have collected dust on the shelves for a while.
Instead of dealing with the anxiety and hysteria from the news, soak your mind with a good read. It is soothing and will take you back to the good old times before the internet.
Board Games, House Games
These are the perfect remedy for the whole house. It is the perfect time to bond with family and this is the perfect starter pack. Movies can also fall here.
Pray
Just because the President suspended all mass gatherings including churches and mosques does not mean you cannot pray. The entire world is literally shutting down and we are having more deaths from a disease that has no cure or vaccine yet, people have lost jobs and many are now contemplating what they are going to eat tomorrow. There is never a better time to pray than now.
Use this time to pray for yourself, pray for your family, pray for your country and all humanity.
Write a book
Writers, you have been complaining for a lack of time to write because of your busy schedule at work. Now that you are most probably home all day, this is the time for you to hit those keys, or that pen and tell all the stories of those little people in your head.
Clean your house
In the normal days with a busy schedule, most of us just run out of the house to work early in the morning and come back late in the night all worn out. Over time, dust collects itself in different sections of the house and before you know it, the whole house looks like a bad road in a remote village.
“I am so busy, I don’t get the time,” is what you say. Well, now you have all the time, please clean your house. Dust off all the corners and clean under your bed. If you have children round that is even better, command them to do so as you eat potatoes on the couch. During this coronavirus period, personal hygiene is key and a clean house is essential during quarantine.
Exercise
At the beginning of this list, we suggested making the kitchen your office, and that means eating a lot. It is only right that we end the list with encouraging you to work out to burn all the calories you will have consumed from the products of your office.
Yes gyms re closed re but there are lots of gym instructors offering online workout classes. Join in and blow off that stem. If that proves to be expensive due to our local internet service providers charging us outrageously on data, just do 50 sit-ups/press-ups in the morning and evening, squats, or jump a rope.
Exercise will not only keep you fit, but will also immensely boost your immune system.
Take a crack at any of these options and see the days go by a lot faster and easier. Otherwise, make your quarantine fun! Whatever you do, don’t forget to wash your hands with soap.
Additional input from Racheal Ajwang.