重回公司上班 (w English)
The first day back to office started with a hectic morning. Woken up by the 8 am alarm, as I stayed late till the wee hour the night before, I got up, a bit lethargic, and went down to the kitchen . Putting a small pot of oatmeal over the stove, I hurried back upstairs to wash myself, knowing that the oatmeal could overflow in any minute. Downstairs again, I began packing what I was about to bring to the office-- a water cup, a water pitcher, a cell phone charger, an earphone, a magazine, some snacks, my lunch box packed with a stainless- steel spoon and fork…
The office is only ten minutes local drive away, and by the time I got to the office, it was almost 9. The parking lot was additionally parked with a few trucks with workers trimming the trees. The road surface looks repaved, permeating the air with the lingering asphalt. Entering the building with two masks on, I saw a new welcome-back poster next to a sanitary station.
Like a chicken set free on a wild range happily roaming and laying eggs, then being called back by the owner to the chicken coop, I succumb to going back to the office after a year-long working from home. My cell phone, so used to Wi-fi, was confusedly lost for the first few minutes, scrambling for mobile signals laboriously. While pandemic limits our freedom, it did give me an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stay at home and work. Though coming back to work at office is still partial, Tuesday and Thursday for now, I know the good time is over.
I miss the lazy morning and its leisureness without rushing to change or dress up. I miss the nap in the comfy bed. I miss the twenty minutes ping-pong time, playing, cheering and sweating. I miss my garden as I walk and tend to the plants, moving the pot from one side to the other for the best sun. I even miss the lizards who find our backyard home, boldly basking themselves almost every day around the same time in the same open spot…
People say that pandemic is disruptive in speeding up the digitalization and changing people’s behavior and mindset. Now with the vaccines fully rolled out, it is widely expected that things will soon go back to normal, or be forced to be so. But will it be that easy? How far can we go back?
Admittedly my day in office is more productive. But working with masks on for about eight hours suffocated me. For a time, my brain worked slower, as if also veiled by masks. Luckily I can work from home tomorrow alternatively, a new hybrid working mode, which won’t last for long before we are asked to return to the office completely.