Before working from home became the new normal, many ironically advocated for telecommuting. The prestigious magazine, Scientific American, in an article dated in 2016, made a case for abandoning the office in favour of our “home sweet office.” Citing scientific studies, the SA claimed that homebound workers are more productive, happy, and satisfied with their jobs than “colleagues tethered to cubicles.” Yet, as 2020 confined most of the world into lockdowns, people are eager

The COVID-19 pandemic left many of us confined to the safety of our homes, with major closures of public areas and social distancing a core recommendation to maintain the safety of us and our loved ones. It goes without saying that this had a huge negative impact on general mental health, both because of the fear and anxiety caused by the danger of the pandemic, as well as the low mood attributed to the inability to directly contact close friends and relatives. However, the m

It’s 11 a.m. on Sunday, three hours ahead of Doha in Kathmandu, and Neha Shrestha is setting up her study corner to attend her first lecture of the day after a yoga session. Giving her company during the class lecture is her dog, Juju, curled up under the desk. Meanwhile her parents, who are just out from self-isolation after testing positive for coronavirus, are mostly occupied planning a hushed Bijaya Dashmi, the most prominent Nepali festival. Judging from the crowd of fes

I had finally arrived in Doha and was excited to continue my some-what college experience at Georgetown University. Living in the dorms, being independent and away from my family, is one of the perks of the traditional college experience that draws me to campus instead of staying in my home country. So I was excited that I had finally started that journey. Everything went quite smoothly: I underwent quarantine for two weeks and was buzzing with the excitement of finally being