Hello, Benjamin.
Curated by Steve, in conversation with Benjamin Marsili. #PeopleofAleph
BENJAMIN MARSILI [ Ben ] is a Scrum Master at Aleph with over 8 years of experience in the Software Engineering field. He is a charmer, an exercise enthusiast as well as a fancy wine consumer.
STEVE WANG [ Steve ] is a UI/UX designer at Aleph and he is currently the Chief of Editor for the Aleph Academy Publication programme.
[ Steve ] The pressure and stress, emotional fatigue that we had undergone with this global pandemic are very heavy, and just so you know this March marks one year anniversary since the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced COVID-19 as a global pandemic.
How do you feel about this pandemic so far? Comparing to the 2003 SARS outbreak, is there something you’d like to share?
[ Ben ] In 2003, I think I was still in France, I was working maybe part-time then converting to full-time then, with my first job, and I was also graduating and completing some stuff for my degree, so I was super focused on those. In France, we had undergone similar pandemics such as SARS, H1N1, a few things like these before, but yes, they didn’t change our ways of lives as much as what COVID-19 did today. I mean I only saw them from the TV, from the news, but there’s no change to my daily life — I don’t think people really care at that time, but COVID-19 is so different, everyone is freaked out.
From the beginning of this ongoing pandemic, I really plead people to wear their masks and stay at home. For me, wearing a mask is so conceptualized as one of the Japanese things before that time — I have seen my colleagues in Japan wear masks every time even though they only exhibit very mild symptoms. After a few days, some people probably go [to the pharmist] to purchase some over-the-counter medication or get a few shots, and they will somehow recover, no one is making a big deal out of it.
Many continued this behaviour initially when COVID-19 became a thing. There are two kinds of people in this pandemic: the kind who are freaked out quickly, and you know, some people who are always freaked out; and there’s exist another group of people who thinks, “Come on, this is only something like the flu.” Then, they will slowly shift to the first kind when they realized things are getting worsen every day, they will be like, “Oh my, what’s happening?”
[ Steve ] Last year we had a “circuit breaker” in Singapore [and lockdowns in many other countries] from the beginning of April, but March was already a very dark time for everyone ahead of that. Comparing yourself from March last year and now in March 2021, how different do you find yourself? Is there something that changed significantly, or any major challenges you were facing during working-from-home since then?
[ Ben ] Yeah, the work changed… well, changes definitely happen. The biggest change to me was the inability to work face-to-face with others. The background noise is definitely a major change, in a good way I mean: I can hear so much noise while working in the clients’ office or studio, people pulling chairs, the noises from the laptop, meeting voices from multiple clients, etc., so working from home for me is actually a greater experience as I got less distracted. We slowly begin to notice what belongs to the studio and what belongs to home, and why you need to be in the studio, or at home, and it’s good that we are getting more open-minded to fit in both environments.
[ Steve ] Do you miss travelling?
[ Ben ] Actually I am okay if I have to skip leisure travel, meanwhile, I can also save up some money from it. There are still lots of places in Singapore that I can go and explore, so my day-to-day life can still be quite enriched without taking a flight and going somewhere out of here.
However, as someone who is a foreigner, the downside of this would be me not being able to spend time with my family, nor they can come here to be with me. If someday I can travel, I guess the first thing I want to do is to go home and see them happy. There are also some major events such as weddings that I am upset about not being able to attend. This comes more important to me comparing to leisure travelling.
[ Steve ] From your personal experience, are there any stories that have a deep and profound impact on you and your close friends’ lives that you’ve come across since this pandemic?
[ Ben ] A few, yes. The first one is on the medical aspect. I have a family member who got COVID and a friend of a friend who also got COVID. Let me tell you about that friend.
He came back from a foreign country when the lockdown was not carried out fully, and when he came back, he was coughing and diagnosed with COVID. He was sharing his apartment with his wife and kids. For two to three weeks, he was ordered to stay home and he couldn’t go to the hospital, because there were already so many people in the hospital. So instead of saying get treated, he was asked to stay at home, just to pass the time, while there’s not much he can do besides resting. He felt that he was dying and it was so lonely in his room. He couldn’t even open the door to see the faces of his family because he was so scared to pass the virus to them and see how bad/sick they can get after that, he didn’t want to see the family getting hurt. After two to three weeks, he recovered but that was a very painful experience.
We always think “It’s okay! We are young, we are strong and we are gonna be fine.”, but the terrifying fact is that the side effects that this virus can potentially bring to us, we should fear about these unknowns. Even getting it without symptoms — that’s already scary.
I have another friend whose company was impacted by COVID. The business went down and she was subsequently fired and let go. What she did after that was very courageous, she created her own business in Singapore and she hired herself as an interior decorator. She asked the government to list out her own company but she was denied many many times, then appeals and denials, repeat. A lot of foreigners who created lots of values here were still pushed away from this country and their lives had to be changed. I have friends who have separated apart in two countries and they can’t see each other for more than a year — it’s breaking people’s heart.
In fact, there are not many cases going on here in Singapore, we don’t even have a single death for the past six months. The major concern is not about healthcare, but more about the job market and employment rate. From the health aspect, you can see how terrible this pandemic is bringing to individuals, but from the community level, I think the biggest impact we are seeing now is the decline of the economy.
[ Steve ] As a hugger, do you feel uncomfortable as you can’t hug and greet close friends due to limited physical contact?
[ Ben ] I can always use my elbows, haha.
