Nicolas Vogogna is a 15-year-old student in Monaco completing his last year of high school. He spoke to Monaco Life about what it’s been like during lockdown.
 
What did you first think when you heard about the lockdown? 
I was a little worried. I didn’t know what I was going to do while in lockdown and you don’t know what to expect. Normally when they tell you you’re going to be in lockdown they tell you the reason why, but in this case, we just knew that the coronavirus was spreading.
What did an average school day look like before the lockdown?
Usually we would start at 8am and finish at 3.40pm. 
What does an average school day look like now for you? 
Everything changed in our time tables. We start at 9am and finish probably around 6pm. Personally, I think it’s pretty dumb to change our time tables because we get less family time but more work.
The exam process will be changed this year because of the crisis, how do you feel about that? 
My friends and I are supposed to be passing the brevet. It’s pretty frustrating because we all studied very hard, but the good thing is now we don’t have the pressure on us.
How are you keeping busy?
I’m keeping myself busy by staying on the phone and talking to my friends, or doing sports and reading.
How are you staying fit and healthy during lockdown? 
I’m staying healthy and fit just by doing sports and not eating too much. Probably my biggest accomplishment is not going insane. But I guess that everybody’s doing the same thing.
How much of your classes are taken online in virtual classrooms? 
I do have a lot of online classes, for example each Monday at 11am to 2pm I have a conference call with all of my classmates and my teacher.
Is it difficult staying motivated to do all your schoolwork?
Well I’m not going to lie, it’s really difficult being motivated to do all of the schoolwork because you don’t really feel like doing it. Plus, you get distracted easily.
Have you found any techniques or apps that are particularly helpful? 
There is one app that is really helpful called Teams for conference calls with your teacher or your friends. There’s also an app called Pluto which is an entertainment app with a lot of games that you can play with your friends or family while texting and some of my friends use it.
Do you have any concerns once the lockdown is lifted?
I do have concerns for when the lockdown is lifted because we don’t know what to expect, especially at school.