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Collected Item: “Life Before "Quarantine"”

Give your story a title.

Life Before "Quarantine"

What sort of object is this: text story, photograph, video, audio interview, screenshot, drawing, meme, etc.?

Text Story

Tell us a story; share your experience. Describe what the object or story you've uploaded says about the pandemic, and/or why what you've submitted is important to you.

In the months before most of the world shut down due to COVID-19, my life was social, fun, and happy. During January of 2020, I had recently gotten to lease a horse for Christmas. I was getting used to riding my horse and going to the barn daily while developing friendships through horseback riding. In February of 2020, I had made friends and bonded with my horse at the barn where I did not have to wear a mask or even be aware of cleanliness and sanitation. When March of 2020 came around, it became a task to be careful of who you’re around and where you go due to the cases developing in the United States. School went online around the middle of March, but my barn was still wide open and did not require masks, temperature-taking, or sanitation before entering. This made life feel normal despite not seeing school friends daily anymore. My barn closed to outsiders from April-May, but for only one month. I was able to see my friends, still without rules such as wearing masks, but only for a two-hour limit due to capacity limitations. From May-November, life was great. I saw my friends often, did well in online school, and maintained the barn as a big part of my life. Now, December of 2020, my barn requires masks, but they are not strict about it. I am still getting outside, staying active and healthy both physically and mentally, and keeping a social life. Although I am doing well in “quarantine,” I would much rather be at school in-person and be doing activities without safety precautions and limitations. Life is different, but I’ve developed entirely new perspectives and these new situations have helped me grow as a person.

Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your story. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?

#oakschristian

Who originally created this object? (If you created this object, such as photo, then put "self" here.)

Macey Peyton

Give this story a date.

2020-12-10
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