this is a short story on how my senior year of high school was when covid-19 pandemic hit the world.

The pandemic was a very dark time for the world and it was a dark time for me personally. I just remembering feeling at if the world would be stuck in this moment forever it felt like someone had just hit the pause button and stopped everything and in a sense that is pretty much what happened. While just going the motions of what the new normal for the world I remember getting news that practically unpaused everything for me and the news was that I would be getting a nephew. This is the reason why I see my nephew as a light in the darkness because it was the news of his life that gave me the ability to look past all of the bad that was happening and to start looking forward and keep pushing because there are always going to be good things that eventually come along.

Early in the pandemic, I pulled out an old journal and figured I'd be using it to pass the time. I never imagined that it would be a lifeline. Some days I filled the pages with little victories learning how to bake bread, catching up with old friends on Zoom, or merely watching sunlight pour through my window in a manner that previously never seemed to occur. Some days the words edged out slowly, more and more slowly. The solitude, the worry, the endless unknown it all crawled onto those pages. That journal has it all: my nightmares, my aspirations, what I've lost, and the small joys I found along the way. It's ragged and soiled, but it reminds me how we held on, how we all did. Even with only ourselves for companionship, we lasted. And that to me is something to remember. Thanks.

I felt, and recurringly feel inadequate or delayed because of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown. There is not one story that stands out, rather several instances of the same overwhelming feeling of how far behind I am, what could have been of myself, all the things I could've achieved, etcetera. However, before my face gets hot and the tears well, I burst out into a chuckle. Not only am I not alone, there is approximately seven billion other earth dwellers feeling some version of the exact same thing. I can't be stupid, otherwise, I would lack the depth and perception to know what I've closed, while using my empathy and cadence to remember others have lost more, and always to be grateful. A stupid person would not be vaccinated and advocate against misinformation during a pandemic, nor continue to test themselves for the sake. I can accept things lost because of those that were not, like my life, my health, and those around me. I am many things: blessed, mindful, and kind. To say the covid-19 pandemic made me stupid would be a discredit to all I did and became during it, all I endured.

During the pandemic, I was in high school. Everything shifted to be online; students were not participating as much as usual and I believe this led teachers to feel discouraged, and therefore try less. It was definitely harder to learn at home rather than in person. All 5 people in my house were at home. My two sisters and I were in the same room on Zoom listening to our online class, and it was very disruptive if one of us were to participate or play the volume out loud. My mom is a paraprofessional for children in second grade with special needs. She was in the next room interacting with her student, singing childhood education songs, helping her student with independent math work and or reading. My father worked the night shift and felt that he couldn’t come into our space to make food or use the bathroom because any noise that he would make would add to the confusion that was occurring. Adjusting to online learning became a bit easier as I got into a schedule, however it became increasingly easy to lay in my bed during class or not study for an exam (since they were all open note. Completing my homework was actually easier because I would do it during classes where I felt that I didn’t need to pay as much attention, because the slides were posted in advance. The pandemic still affects me today as I developed social anxiety during the pandemic. I became very accustomed to not interacting with the outside world and staying in my house for days and even weeks (especially in the winter). This affects me everyday with my friends, family, and professional life as I am especially ambivalent to network. The pandemic affects my future as I am striving to work in healthcare. I also want to practice good public health measures such as staying home when I'm sick, wearing masks, washing my hands often, practicing food safety etc. I believe that now as a society we are more accustomed to being aware of contamination. On the other hand however we are also more divided when it comes to science and facts, especially in the case of vaccines.

This story shares how the COVID-19 pandemic affected my work and school life.

This is a story of my life during covid

When the pandemic started, I was starting my second year of high school, while my sister was in middle school. In order to continue my education, I had to use Zoom meetings for over a year. As a result, I was forced to stare at my laptop screen all day, causing strain in my eyes and pain in my lower back from sitting all day. Furthermore, doing Zoom meetings for all my classes made doing homework much more difficult as not only my teachers gave us so much homework due in a short amount of time (believing that being home all day give us more than enough time to complete it), but I felt drained after staring at my laptop all day so I avoid using it any longer, basically procrastinating until the last minute. Since I wasn't employed during high school, the pandemic didn't affect me in that aspect. However, that only meant that I was trapped in my apartment 24/7, unable to even go out for even a short walk. As a result, I was completely bored out my mind, only having books, music, videos, and sleep to temporarily starve off my boredom. But even that eventually became tedious, which led me to binge eat in a desperate attempt to entertain myself, leading me to gain weight. Honestly, if it wasn't for my sister being with me throughout the entire pandemic, the lockdown would've honestly felt like torture. Even after the pandemic ended, it still affect me as it made me appreciate my family and I want to be outside longer. And I believe that society shares that sentiment as a lot of people after the pandemic went on to do lots of outdoor activities with their friends and family to make up for the isolation and quarantine caused by COVID-19. As for if the pandemic will affect my future, I don't think so as I was fortunate enough for it to only affect my junior year of high school (so I was still able to enjoy prom and in person graduation), so in just a few years, it will be just be a normal memory.

During covid I almost failed high school. Quarantine occurred during the end of my sophomore year and all of my junior year. These years are exactly the middle years of highschool and it being online felt dystopian yet sort of utopian. Sophomore year online classes were my best grades in highschool. When they were just figuring out how to manage online classes, the workload was much easier than in person classes and the teachers were more understanding due to the circumstances. Junior year started and the longer that zoom classes continued, the less I felt the need to keep up with work. Having online classes didnt feel like being in class and skipping/sleeping through class came easier when I was already doing classes in bed. Especially when learning that a whole year of my highschool time was going to be remote, it made me lose motivation for grades. It was more so that grades felt like something that doesn’t really exist. I was here at home, locked inside because of a global crisis, and I had these FaceTime calls as class. Socialization was the main factor that motivated me to go to school in the first place. I prioritized socializing online over grades since I’m an extremely extraverted person who relies on socialization to feel energized. This led me to the most chronically online time of my life. I became practically nocturnal, staying up all night to play games or FaceTime with my friends. I met a lot of people online as well, people I am still friends with. Towards the end of the school year, I was failing all my classes. During Covid they had this policy that students couldn’t really fail, or that teachers had to provide more assistance to students who were failing. I didn’t really know what policy it was, I only heard about it, but it definitely worked in my favor. Last week or two of classes I had to complete a shortened list of assignments and if I completed them I would get a passing grade which wouldn’t affect my gpa. I completed them and then it was summer when we started getting used to going outside again. Quarantine time felt definitely dystopian, with toilet paper wars and a global lockdown. Throughout that, it brought a new perspective on what we really have and having reduced responsibilities, knowing that the world had enough resources for us to not have to work for a year but instead be provided for by the government, felt utopian. It felt like, for many, that we have been on a grind mindset for so long when we are a developed and advanced society. We have abundance to share, nationally, and are past the point of just survival. All in all, covid was an eye-opening, very weird time.

Life During COVID

The item I am submitting is my personal experience and story during the time of covid. My story shows that the pandemic actually served many advantages as it did with disadvantages. It opened the doors to many new hobbies that I have now and still hold on to. It is important to me because during covid I had a lot of time to reflect on my self, my capabilities, and things I am made for.

I am sharing my story about the Covid -19 pandemic because the experiences changed my life for ever. I have read so many people in the past related stories of their experiences, and i am glad they documented those , because i am able to learn about the wars, the depression, the pandemics and so much more. Therefore i want to make sure i leave my experience, so the next generation can know what it was like living through that period in history.