Raghav Daga Week 14: The Best Years of My Life

I roamed through my house, living room to bedroom, clutching my laptop in one hand and a grilled cheese sandwich in the other. I lived the same day again and again, attending school, doing a little bit of homework, and being locked at home for over one and a half years starting in 7th grade. Such were the strict Covid 19 restrictions in India as the government mandated lockdown for preventing the spread of the disease. With both my parents at home, my sister, and my grandparents, I lived in a rather crowded house with a new lifestyle to get used to: I lived like a nomad. I got used to working wherever I needed to in my house and being adaptable to new conditions rather than getting settled into something comfortable, and that is what made those years at home special. 


Hitting a growth spurt while being idle at home came with a host of challenges, primarily being that my body could not support my weight. I got clumsy and crashed into things all around me: my body had not figured out that it had grown taller. As the lockdown eased up, all of my friends struggled with all sorts of injuries as we came out to play in parks, and soon our interests shifted from sports to just “hanging out.” Living almost all of my middle school at home meant that when we returned, all of my old friends were different people. We looked different, sounded different, and had new interests beyond just school and video games. I was further accustomed to variation and change, and I learned to get along with people irrespective of how different they were from me. 


The preteen age is one of the most memorable times of life, where you are old enough to experience the world but not so old that your decisions affect your future. This perfect balance allowed me to experiment with life and learn more about myself. I experimented with cooking, video games, playing the guitar, spending hours watching TV shows, and just enjoying myself without having to worry about school. Those days, aimless as they were, taught me a lot about myself and finding purpose in life. Even though I had a great time being free, the euphoria lasted only a few months before I wanted to achieve something with my time. I instead began learning new skills like programming, and found much greater satisfaction in doing something productive rather than meaningless. 

I took a Python course during the lockdown.

Reflecting on past experiences allows me to see what makes me who I am today. All of my interests and belief systems come from events and guidance I received in the past, and the recollection of these is what makes knowledge true wisdom. 

Comments

  1. Emerly LeeApril 9, 2025 at 7:14 PM

    Hey Raghav! I think being in the same grade we can relate to a lot of the same experiences and especially being quarantined at a time where we were all transitioning into antsy teenagers. Much like you, I learned a lot with having a lot of free time. I picked up how to cook and bake, watched shows, and generally did my best to navigate the essence of a social life while not being able to see friends while stuck at home. While this experience was anything but normal, I do believe that having such a unique experience has its own perks and quirks. During this time, it probably was hard for a lot of people our age to adjust to the unusual circumstances. I am glad you were able to have fun while also striving to achieve. I know that not many, including me, have that kind of motivation to achieve while being deprived of our youth. Overall, I think it was nice to get a glimpse of what your quarantine life looked like and find similarities in our experiences!

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  2. Jacob WangApril 9, 2025 at 7:19 PM

    Hi Raghav! It's impressive that you managed to make the most of the difficult COVID-19 situation. One of my biggest regrets is not being productive enough during quarantine. The part about living the same life day after day is so relatable. Looking back, it feels like every day during quarantine was the exact same thing and I barely remember anything that happened during that time period, a blank space in my memory. You make a great point about past experiences creating your unique identity.

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  3. Kaden KhauApril 9, 2025 at 8:37 PM

    Hi Raghav! I can really relate with your situation of COVID-19 and all the things that were happening during that time. I feel that one of my biggest regrets was not experimenting like you during quarantine and just staying locked in my room and going on zoom calls for hours a day. It felt the same every single day and I can really relate with you on that part. Also the part about hitting your growth spurt really connected with me because that was around the same time I actually hit my growth spurt and I felt as if My body wasn't adjusted for myself and everything hurt as you did. Your blog really made a contrast between the best part of your life and a difficult time period!

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