Items

• 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.
• 2021-01-14T12:04

  Virtual Learning

  My experience with virtual learning during this pandemic hasn't been the most positive. Gosh, it's been almost 10 months since we started. The beginning was exciting I guess because I thought it was just a break from the normal, boring school day. But, boy was I wrong. After a while, the routine of waking up, doing school, going to sleep was getting very repetitive. Don't get me wrong, I liked not having to wake up at 6:30 every single morning, but I started to get angsty. I felt like I wasn't focusing on schoolwork and tests as I should have been, and I definitely did not retain any of the information that I was taught. After a while, I not only was bored and anxious, but I was also very lonely too. I did not like the fact that I didn't get to socialize with my school friends and teachers every single day. On top of that, I wasn't allowed to see my friends yet because my parents were very strict. Summer was even worse. At least I had a day to day schedule with online school, but when it came to summer, I had nothing to do. By end of June, I was allowed to hang out with friends again, but it wasn't the same. This year, I actually transferred to a new school for 8th grade. That would normally be hard because I am socially awkward, but the fact that we didn't even go in person made it far worse. It took me a while to feel comfortable in all of my classes and meet people. Also, it was a really big change because I used to go to public school and we only had 2 hours a day of online school, but at my new private school, we had school from 8-2:45 every day. Although it is what I would normally do in person, it felt like a large shift from before, and I thought I was going to fall behind. Thankfully, I met a lot of people who helped me adjust just fine. Now, it is January and we are back in person. Although online school was a struggle, it made me realize how much I took school for granted. I think it also helped us grow and mature greatly.
• 2021-01-11T12:13

  The Cause of COVID

  In the beginning, there were many theories of where the coronavirus came from, all of them having to originate in China. I was told that it was from eating bats, which sounded absurd. I think this is one of the many reasons why I thought the virus wasn't real or wasn't as serious as it is because it all sounded ridiculous. And then I was told that it was Chinese scientists' fault and that they had created and manipulated the virus in a lab. I started to believe this theory, and it clouded my judgement when I was told the truth: the coronavirus was from the wilderness. As I said before, I did not believe in the eating bats theory which is why I was skeptical that the new theory involved bats once again. But, once I got concrete evidence, like the fact that in the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak, it originated in bats, I started to believe this new theory, or the truth. Over the last 10 months, scientists have uncovered so much more about the coronavirus than thought possible. Because of the many false theories and accusations made throughout the COVID history, China has become the scapegoat for many people to blame this whole situation on, stating that is all their fault, even though we don't have concrete evidence if this is true or not. Whatever the cause of the COVID breakout, we should not blame it on other people, but help each other get through these tough times.
• 2021-01-06T12:49

  A Covid Christmas

  This Christmas was unlike any other. I woke up on Christmas Day knowing that I wasn't going to be able to see my family because of the current regulations in my city. It was sad because we have many traditions we partake in each year. On Christmas Eve, me and my family, including my grandma, aunts and uncles, and cousins, usually eat a delicious seafood feast, made up with crab, oysters, clams and linguini, shrimp, and other seafoods. It is a tradition that we have held up for many years, and it pained me that it didn't happen this Christmas. On Christmas Eve, my family also exchanges presents with each other with our extended family, and our living room felt so empty this year without the laughter and joy that my family brings to Christmas. On Christmas Day, we usually have delicious meet-filled ravioli that we make homemade weeks before Christmas. Because of the current circumstances, we were not able to make the ravioli, nor eat it. This is one of my favorite parts about Christmas, and I was devastated that it didn't happen. On Christmas Day night, me and my family usually go to the other side of my family's house to eat delicious food and exchange presents. My grandmother and grandfather on that side of the family have been very strict with COVID and didn't allow us to come over. It hurt me, but I understood because these are very hard times, and I did not want to put them at risk. Christmas is usually my favorite time of the year, joyous and merry and filled with family and cheer. But this year, Christmas was a solemn and lonely time; it was very hard to get through the holidays without my family by my side. This experience has taught me to be more grateful, and I am, I am grateful that my family is alive and healthy. To end this, I would like to say, we always have Christmas next year, and the next year, and the next year, etc. We need to keep our heads held high during these tough times.
• 2020-12-14T14:22

  The Beginning of COVID-19

  I honestly can't remember a time without the virus. A time when things felt normal or ordinary. Life before the pandemic, it wasn't perfect, not even close, but I didn't ever feel like I was being strangled, gasping for air. The month of February, only 10 months ago, but feels more like a lifetime since then. I was a 7th grader then, thinking about things like schoolwork and friends and soccer; normal things. I remember I was so happy, so happy that I had such amazing friends, and such a normal life. But, I wanted school to end. I mean, what 13 year old doesn't? Now, I realize how much that wish has effected my life. The day I found out about COVID was a day like any other; I was at school that day, you know, normal things. After school, I checked TikTok and saw all these random videos about some virus that had popped up. At first, I thought nothing of it. When the district announced that school was shutting down, I was told it would only be 2 weeks; just 2 weeks! I thought it would be like a short break from the day-to-day school life, so if anything, I was happy. As the weeks went by, though, I started to panic. What was this coronavirus and why was it ruining my life? I thought eventually it would end, but then we got the alert we were out for the rest of the school year, then the alert that COVID cases were rising once again, then we got the alert that there was no chance of us going back to school in the Fall, and during all of this, as you can imagine, I was going crazy, wondering if life would ever go back to normal. Life right now is bizarre, but we just have to keep pushing because nothing lasts forever. When I think back to February, oh so long ago, I realize how much has happened throughout this pandemic; the rallies, BLM, the election, and above all, change. I have changed as a person, everyone has. Now if that change is good or bad is questionable, but whatever the case, we need to embrace it because we can't change reality; all we can do is hope for the best and keep pushing on.