Generation Corona

At the very beginning, we were actually well-behaved at home. But that got pretty boring. So, I met up with friends again and tried not to run into the police. We went to a remote old football field, chilled there, drank, listened to music, and had barbecues. I told my parents the truth, they indulged me and supported me. It would have been possible to go to the city centre, but the party wasn’t really going on there. Especially in the beginning it was just empty. In the summer, I was with a group of 30 to 40 people at the lake. The police came but didn’t intervene. I really missed the social contacts with remote schooling, because you get lonely. It’s nicer to sit together with others at school. At home it was sometimes exhausting. I have two little brothers, each of them were hiding in their rooms. Actually, you feel as if you’ve been robbed of your youth for two years. The clubs were closed most of the time. You can’t make up for it with the same people because you go your separate ways after graduating from high school.

Theresa, 17, A-level student

I found it quite bad that suddenly you were no longer allowed to go anywhere. Fun activities were no longer possible and the shops were closed. I couldn’t even see my boyfriend the next day because it was simply forbidden. But every now and then we still met up, played video games or football and forgot about Corona a bit during that time. Once I think I went to a birthday party. That was fun, we got away from it all for once. When I had Corona myself, my eyes only stung a bit on the first day actually. But because of this segregation notice I had a strange feeling. It was as if I was a bad criminal and had to be put in prison, but I was only ill. I never snuck out of the house, but I did go to the garden to see the chickens. I don’t have many friends here near our new house yet, because we just moved here. That’s why I play with my brother more often.

Simon, 12, student

The situation really sucked. I turned 16 at that time and could have gone to the clubs. But that wasn’t possible because everything was closed. During the lockdown we mainly met privately at friends’ houses, had a drink together and organised darts tournaments. I have to say: In the village, no one really cared whether we had broken the contact restrictions. My parents were actually understanding, they were of the same opinion as us. At home, however, we often got on each other’s nerves. We really sat on top of each other because there was nothing else we could do. That’s why there were arguments in the family. Basically, though, I think it was easier in the village at that time because there were simply not so many law enforcers constantly checking whether you were breaking the rules. You could also do more because nobody was really interested in what you were doing.

Justus, 17, apprentice

It’s like missing out on life. You simply didn’t have many experiences during that time and you can’t really make up for them. But in the countryside, it was probably even easier than in the city, you didn’t feel so caged in and confined, you could be outside a lot, it was more chill. A few times, five of us, at most, met up and partied in a friend’s garden hut. Her parents knew about it and mine too. Some of us also got wine from them. We were a bit afraid of being caught by the police. But we weren’t always drunk. During the lockdowns, I slept most of the time or went for a walk with the dog. At home, my parents got on my nerves more often, and we argued a time or two, but it was bearable. Distance learning was a complete disaster in the first year. But that was due to the programme my school used. It got a lot easier and better in the second year.

Lena, 16, student