“How are you doing?” is an extremely loaded question at this point in time, as I assume most of us writing these blog posts must be thinking. To start on a positive note, I am glad at least this social distancing brought me back to my favorite place (as pictured above). My special thinking spot has never meant more to me than it does right now, as it feels like it is my only escape from the mindless routine of basically not having a routine at all day after day. Being stuck at has definitely made me appreciate the area I live in and the various parks I have access to close by. I have even discovered new places to explore while keeping my distance from others that are just a short drive away. So physically, I am thankful to be doing well and that my family is staying healthy, except for the fact that my sleep schedule has been completely ruined! I have even taken up yoga to help with the anxiety that this pandemic and online schooling is bringing me. Overall, I am a fairly extraverted person and I tend to not function very well working alone in any setting. Even with the three other members of my family around, the feeling of isolation tends to become overwhelming for me, but I am trying my best to find new things to distract myself with and help the time in quarantine go by faster.

When we first found out that we would not be returning for the rest of the semester, my friends and I were devastated that we had only experienced one month being on campus so far and everything was going even better than expected. I ranted to my parents on the way home about how much I am going to hate living in our small town again for another five months. It felt like I was going back to being in high school again. However, I quickly realized how lucky I am to have a place I can comfortably call home while some of my closest friends had to leave their respective universities to go back to a less safe and comforting environment. It is tough not being able to see them in person or have the chance to help relieve some of the stress and anxiety that their home life brings onto them. That has been worrying me a lot lately.

Personally, I am frustrated by the way our government handled the situation in the first place. I feel as though, even during a global pandemic, our country lacks the unity we need to get through it as efficiently as possible. Our leaders are slacking to provide any set of universal guidelines for all of the states to follow, which is only allowing the virus to spread further and forces local officials to work their hardest to keep their own residence safe. It is also disappointing to see so many people not taking this seriously and enjoying free time in large groups, putting so many others at risk and making the job of our medical workers that much harder and more dangerous. It shouldn’t be this difficult to understand that the sooner everyone is on the same page and acts accordingly, the sooner we can ALL enjoy our time with loved ones outside of our houses again.

Isabel Yu