Since the beginning of March, coronavirus has come to Serbia and changed all plans for this year. From March 15 to May 15 this year, there was a state of emergency in Serbia declared, which included online schooling, curfew, restricted movement, bans on gatherings, and much more with the purpose of protecting and preventing the spread of the virus. Young people could no longer hang out in cafes, picnic areas, parks, etc. rather, they switched it all to an online format with the help of social media. Is it a good idea or does it cause even greater envy towards the use of smart devices? I talked to my friends. Most of them think that it is not a good enough alternative and that it makes people even more antisocial, so many of them still do not want to hang out online. Some say that due to everything that has happened to us, it is good to have support at least online. The statement of one of my friends was “Nothing can ever replace the feeling when we gather on a park bench with a guitar and when more young people come and create a great atmosphere”
During the quarantine, we had a lot of time to think about our future, will we stay in Serbia? Do we see ourselves here after all? Most young people said that they thought more about leaving their homeland because of better living conditions in European countries, the price of education and its applicability, the way of life, a more open view of diversity, etc. Among the young people who said that they did not think about it, there is a story that they loved their place during the quarantine, that the state acted well when it comes to measures during the state of emergency, that they want to stay here and make changes that will make our Serbia better for life.
Speaking of changes, most young people think that quarantine has brought various changes. Many of them started training at home, spending more time with family, reading, learning many new skills, and getting regular sleep. Bad changes include loss of contact with close people, sleeping late, loss of work habits, a greater feeling of depression and anxiety due to constant stay at home. And for conclusion most young people hope that the situation with the coronavirus will calm down as soon as possible so that they can return to the old rhythm of life, they also think that this came as a good lesson on how important is to appreciate freedom and health that should always come first to all of us.
Milana,
Serbia