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  2022-06-12

  Trip to Chania, Crete: Wedding of the Century for the Family

  This was the first travel for me and my family when COVID-19 restrictions relaxed to a thoughtful degree. This is important to me because it was a time that my extended family came together and the appreciation of that was heightened by the absence of togetherness through out the more critical time of the pandemic.
• 2022-03-27

  Sometimes I forget my aunt died of COVID-19.

  Although my aunt was not a significant part of my life since about 2007, she was still family. During the midst of the large outbreak in the summer of 2020 my dad texted me that she was in the hospital, then was released, and then was found deceased in her home a few days later. At this time, it was hard to have a body “processed” quickly, for lack of better words, through morgues and funeral homes. Additionally, having a funeral service was not advised because of either lockdown, funeral homes limiting attendance, or these homes even not performing services. On top of that, many people would have been hesitant to attend. My dad and his siblings decided to not have a service. I have heard many other similar stories. Perhaps this became a pandemic funerary custom to some; life went on and no occasion was marked. Even though we were not super close, and I was not despondent, this would have been a way to process and mark a death for me. For others, a time to process grief. To summarize, she died of COVID-19. I could not visit her in the hospital, and we did not have a funeral service or a burial. I feel that because of the pandemic my family did not go through the traditions and customs that help people process and accept death. I am not sure how my parents and sister feel. I have mistakenly wondered what my aunt was up to, temporarily forgetting her death. Even though we weren't the closest I would have had a memory marker achieved through tradition and grieving/funerary customs that would have given others the peace needed.
• 2021-01-19T11:59

  Rules and Procedures

  There have been many rules and procedures we have needed to follow during this COVID journey. From wearing masks to staying in our houses, they haven't been the most convenient, but they have been able to keep us safe (for the most part), and that is what counts. Today, I am going to write about my experience when I had COVID. I was the only person in my family who tested positive, and that meant I had to self quarantine. It was one of the worst times of my life, but it made me realize how much I had taken for granted. I was locked in my room for 7 days straight, and I could only come out to go to the bathroom or retrieve my food. It was a painstaking schedule. All I did was wake up, eat, do school, eat, go to bed. I thought it was never going to end, for those 7 days felt like 7 years. It was really weird to have my parents bring food to my room; I was so used to eating at the dining table and recounting my days' stories with my family. It was really hard and I felt very lonely not being able to see my family for that long. When the 7 days were up, I was aloud out of my room, but my parents were still cautious. They made me wear a mask when I wasn't eating and made me kind of social distance. It was maddening that I was finally free, but I was still contained, but I now realize that this was the best thing for their safety. Because of my experience, I have learned that the rules and procedures that are set in place by the government are there for our safety, and I will never take them for granted again.
• 2020-08-25

  Corona finally striking too close to home

  Ever since the pandemic has started, nobody I knew as had been seriously close to death because of the virus. That all changed last night. For the first time of 2020 I am afraid for life of a loved one. The virus never felt super real sine I hadn't had any true experiences with it and now it feels like my it has a grip in my life and I'm afraid that it'll never truly let go. Only time will tell in this situation and that may be the scariest part of it all.