Quarantine Quirks
By Andrada Pop | March 19, 2021
Cover Illustration by Andrada Pop
Our staff tells University Reporter Andrada Pop the fun habits they’ve picked up to keep themselves going during multiple lockdowns
Twisted Candles – Ellie Caulfield
I have been a fan of twisted candles for a while now but after seeing them priced at upwards of €10 per candle, I simply could not bring myself to splurge on them. You can imagine my excitement when Instagram reels started popping up with details on how to create them yourself. This lockdown I have been spending roughly 20 cents per candle (yep, you read that right!), soaking them in hot water, rolling them out and twisting them! And because they aren’t expensive, I no longer feel guilty about burning them. Gosh, life is good when it’s cheap!
Plant Parenthood – Andrada Pop
Being a plant parent is no easy job, but the rewards are high. Every new leaf or flower is a cause of celebration and God knows I have been needing things to celebrate lately. Another plus is the crisp oxygen in my room and the reminder to drink water every time I hydrate my plants. Remember, never drink alone!
Playing the Piano – Celina Tromp
The pandemic enabled me to start learning how to play the piano. Even though I attended classes for a couple of years when I was twelve, due to a lack of discipline and time, I was eventually no longer able to fully commit. Now, with all this extra time, I’ve been practicing consistently and I’m finally seeing improvements!
Bread making – Kira Guehring
I love bread and started to learn how to bake it myself in February. When the pandemic hit, I obviously had to jump on the sourdough (and also banana bread!) train. My sourdough starter, Hermann, has been holding up well. I recently made my best loaf, however, even after a few tries, it’s not quite right yet. If you’re looking for an easy sourdough recipe, I can recommend a recipe for chocolate chip scones.
Interior Design – Linh Nguyen
I moved into my new apartment just a few weeks before the news of the first corona case in the Netherlands. The lockdown restrictions forced me to be confined in a new, empty apartment, which triggered my quest to revamp my home, mainly to keep myself sane and occupied.
I worked on my room first before resuming with the rest of the flat. I thrifted a rather large dining table, waited for the couches to arrive and added plants as a finishing touch. I love finding fun things to add to my apartment, although carrying the table up the stairs was quite challenging, with my roommate and I potentially have broken a part of it. However, thanks to the sudden inspiration I now have a cute little apartment, which has made lockdown somewhat easier.
Reviving my old hobby – Anabella Villanueva
Drawing and painting have always been passions of mine. However, it’s been years since I last practiced any of them, so I think it’s fair to say that by this point I probably forgot what drawing even was like. But then the lockdown happened. All the free time I had on my hands pushed me to start drawing again. I began experimenting with everything from watercolor and markers to pens, pencils and digitally. I use multiple free-to-download creative pages such as Canva or Sketchbook to create graphics. I sometimes spend hours drawing or designing because it’s so relaxing for me. I am very happy to have started drawing again, but I realize there’s still a long way to go. I want to keep improving myself and although now it’s just a hobby, later on I want to incorporate it into my creative content as a marketer or content creator. I even opened an Instagram account for my drawings (@thecolorsofbella), but then university started so I wasn’t able to post regularly anymore. However, my plan is now to post all the drawings I’ve done in these last couple of months. So guys, find something that you like or liked to do in the past and start again! Any kind of hobby would definitely help you relax and take your mind off things.
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