It was like a dream come true when my partner and I finally opened our dream business together early this year. We went through a lot of challenges just to raise the needed capital for our Cafe business. My beloved friends supported me and even loaned us money. Unfortunately, the cafe was nothing but a short-lived dream.
Our cafe officially opened on January 28, 2020. By mid-March, we were already under Community Quarantine. Children below 18 and Senior Citizens were forbidden from going out as the government thought they were at most risk from the virus. The video above was taken during the first week of the quarantine.
The streaming company where I used to work shut down and so other businesses who are unable to cope up with the extreme change. People are stuck at home and unemployment in my country is very high.
As the cases of COVID positive patients increase, the local government also initiated stricter measures. We Went from Community Quarantine to Enhanced Community Quarantine. Other cities went into total lockdown.
Quarantine passes are required if someone needs to go out to buy necessities. There are strong checkpoints from borders to borders in order to prevent people from other places from coming in and potentially bringing the virus.
However, these initiatives remained futile. COVID cases keep increasing. The hospitals are full and the morale of the frontliners are very low. There are reports of nurses who wanted to quit. It's almost 4 months now and we are still under quarantine.
There is no longer a consistent supply of fresh ingredients we needed to buy from the market every day. The supermarket shelves are also often empty. Our franchisor is unable to deliver us our orders on time. Prices skyrocketed and our franchisor is forced to increase the prices of their products too.
I fell into a deep depression and I withdraw from friends. This was the biggest failure I had ever faced in my 25 years of existence. I remember all the sleepless nights and all the tears spent just to build the cafe. All the sacrifices went to nothing.
Then one day, I suddenly woke up with a different pair of eyes. I saw a glimmer of hope in the darkness. For once, I am thankful that I am alive, that my family is healthy.
I become very grateful for small things, for having food to eat and a bed to sleep.
I have accepted the fact that in life, nothing is forever. The good thing is it's true for both good and bad things. This pandemic too shall pass, and till then, I have to be strong.