2020 NARRATIVE ESSAYS

Picture your senior year, the best school year you’ve ever had let alone the best year of your life. Everything is going to plan, you’re at the top of your game and one day you get a phone call that changes your school year, and part of your life, forever. Well that’s what happened to me. I was in show choir my senior year and it was the best year for Powhatan high school. We went from being the laughing stock of show choir to having the best show design, the best teacher, just the best everything. Everything was looking good for us. We made finals for the first time ever and we won grand champions for the first time in all of Powhatan choir history. We accomplished so much, just to hear the weekly phone call that our school makes every weekend saying that we will no longer be going to school due to Covid-19.

You could say my high school experience was very different than most people’s, it ended in a worldwide pandemic after all. My Show Choir experience was cut short when we were better than ever. My graduation wasn’t the same. Instead of having a ceremony with my entire high school class it was only fifty kids at a time. I was very heart broken at first and I even became depressed for a month. But it all led to a realization that life is just going to have to continue this way, even if I didn’t want it to. It was hard to experience this whole thing and cancel plans I had made with friends so I could see them before we all went our seperate ways. I called my Show Choir director, Mr. Dean, and my second father figure and after a while of talking over the phone he told me something that is going to stick with me for my whole life. He said “Life is going to be unfair to everyone, even if you’re the nicest human being. But no matter how hard life puts you down, no matter how hard life punches you in the gut, always remember that the only way you can be successful in life is if you choose to get up and be stronger than you were when you were knocked down.” Those few words got me up and going and got me to how I was during my senior year.

The last time I traveled to Mexico to see my grandparents was the summer of my eighth grade year, so roughly four years have passed since I have seen them last. You could say a trip to Mexico is long overdue. I planned the trip my junior year and I was so excited to see them because I have never had the privilege of taking a day trip and hanging out with them like most people. As a result of this, I’ve never really taken my grandparents for granted. For a year I looked forward to finally going to see them and just spend a month with them. I planned to surprise them when I got there in my cap and gown with my high school diploma in one hand. The worldwide pandemic completely took that away from me and crushed my dreams of seeing them again after four long years, which ended up leading me into a depression.

Since there wasn’t anything I could do, due to the government restriction I was very bored and stir-crazy. While looking for something new to do, the idea of starting a YouTube channel came to my head and I thought about it for about two weeks. I finally decided to start a channel about fishing since it’s my favorite thing to do. I have always wanted to be a professional, but I’m in college so I’m not there yet. I uploaded my first video and it got 160 views and I gained 50 subscribers within 2 weeks. I currently have 107 subscribers and I have been on YouTube for about 2 months now. I have gotten nothing but good feedback from it. I’m going to continue uploading to it throughout college to see if I can get to 1,000 subscribers.

One lesson I have definitely learned was that while the world seemed to be at an all-time stop due to the pandemic, life is just going to continue to go on and you are either going to be left behind because of how hard life punched your gut, or you can take that punch, get up and recover. If you choose to grow from it, you have to wait for the next thing the world throws at you and see if you’re going to fall down as easily. While this pandemic ruined my senior year, I’m not going to let it ruin my whole life. This could last 5 more months or even the rest of my life, but whatever the outcome is I’m ready for it.

A lot of people have had plans in some shape or form ruined or changed because of the late disease known as the coronavirus or Covid-19 from Vacations and get togethers to school schedules and just little trips to kings dominion not only plans but whole lifes and families were changed. For me because of Covid pretty much my entire plan for summer was changed. I had a cruise planned to go to Jamaica for two weeks and two weeks after the pandemic started. I was supposed to go to Virginia Beach for a weekend with all my friends and a lot of camping and kings dominion trips with friends were sadly canceled. But the biggest change because of Covid was how I was going to finish highschool, the entire later half of the school year was online and since the school was in no way prepared for the pandemic a lot of the assignments were not put together well or wouldn’t teach me anything so when the test came everyone failed. Luckily If you had good grades in the first semester you had a pretty good chance of passing and I did it felt so great to graduate but it was sad I couldn't say goodbye to all my friends who at that point because of graduation being pushed back all the way to July 26th many of them were leaving next week for college. I remember first hearing about Covid in January at Mabels where I work.

My friend Josh had been doing alot of research saying once it hits America he guaranteed the economy would be messed up and all business would grind to a stand still. Josh was right around March when the virus hit everything for everyone shut down, all plans, many businesses, vacations, and even Mabels was temporarily closed. After some time the owner got sick of not having money so she proposed a plan for mabels to stay open during a statewide quarantine. Mabels started delivery and curbside pickup the entire kitchen got to keep working during the pandemic so I was happy I still had a job. In order to keep paying for my Dodge Charger Working two days a week was not cutting it so I also did delivery driving. Delivery driving was great and I made good money driving around listening to music. I look back on that time and I actually miss it. We were really slow during then and most of the time it was me getting paid ten dollars an hour to play mario kart and uno with my friends in the back. Another set back because of the pandemic was that I was not allowed to see my girlfriend because her mom was afraid I was going to get sick and give it to her. So I was only allowed to call her and I wasn’t allowed to hang with my friends and older family members either. All I did was go to work and try and figure out what upgrade I was going to buy for my car next. So the Covid pandemic was no picnic but it was not all bad. I became very close with people at Mabels and was able to give my car brand new lights and a spoiler. I was also having a very easy time in school because most of the work was just graded by completion. I also learned a lot more about fixing lawnmowers In my free time I changed to oil and filters and blades and got 50 dollars a lawnmower. Being shut off from the world was fun but I wish it wasn’t in my final year of highschool me and my best friends were just trying to enjoy our final year together and sadly it was cut short but the memories of dollar tacos after powderpuff practice and the endless hours in the parking lot talking after class. I remember the final night before graduation we gathered around my friends pool and said “no matter what happens we are always together” and then jumped into the pool fully clothed It was very touching then that morning we all went to graduation took our pictures then group hugged one last time and sadly I have not seen most of them since. Covid-19 took more than it gave but what it gave was the hope and joy of what the future holds once the world comes back together I can’t wait to go to college and see everyone’s face and be able to actually sit beside someone but until then we keep the masks on to prevent another nationwide quarantine.

I awake and head to the kitchen for breakfast. When I walk in my mom is watching the

news. I ask, “Oh Lord what happened now?”

She responds, “George Floyd was killed by police.”

“Man, another one,” I reply.

Over the next few weeks, a series of protest and violence break out worldwide. My son

and I watch the news daily. He asks a million questions “Why are they burning buses and

breaking into stores stealing?”. I explain to Amari the world is upset with police brutality,

especially white cops killing black people and getting away with it. They want things to change. I don’t agree with the looting, I had to explain what that was as well. The looting takes away from the real problem. I explain to Amari the protest is not just for George Floyd but for Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Michael Brown and the countless other who are not named. George Floyd was the breaking point.

Thousands of people protest daily worldwide. People are outraged at the continued brutality. More looting, more riots, more violence.

The City of Richmond is in an uproar. Friends and family call just to and check in on me. They ask if I have been to any of the protest and of course the answer is no. I speak to my sister and cousins on our weekly conference call to discuss the protest and the pandemic. We share our points of views about both topics. My cousin Tiffany stated she attended a protest in D.C., and it was peaceful, and she felt a sense of empowerment after protesting. My cousin Michelle had not gone to a protest she was nervous about how some of the protest got dangerous and she didn’t want to be a part of that. My sister, Shanna gave her point of views and how she wanted to attend one of the protests.

A few days later Shanna calls and asks unsmiling, “Do you and Amari want to go to a protest?”. She stated her and my nephew were going to one of the protests later that day.

“Ummm no we good”, I reply nervously. All protest don’t end they way you see them on the news Samantha, she exclaims. I explain each protest I seen ends in violence and arrest more hurt and upset people. I’m seeing people get pepper-sprayed and tear gas being used I want to avoid that. She instantly thinks I’m not down for “the cause”. No, I’m down but after the protest and riots are over what do we do. That’s what I want to be a part of. I choose to take part of what happens after it’s all said and done.

My sister asks, “have you had “the talk” with Amari?”. I say to myself, though he is only

13 I guess it’s necessary. I sit Amari down and let him know when you get pulled by police keep your hands visible. Do as they ask, be polite. If they ask you to get something say you are getting what they asked for before you move your hands. If you ever get arrested, hopefully you never will, don’t say anything wait for me and don’t sign anything. I let him know he needs to know he rights and what he is entitled to. Be aware of your surroundings and if things don’t feel right then its best you leave. Remember to always be a leader don’t follow anyone especially if you know it’s wrong.

I cringed at the thought I had to have that conversation with my son. It’s like I must equip

him with certain tools to help him while “black” in this society and I hate it. I try my best to guard and protect him from the world we live in, but the world won’t always be fair, so he must be prepared for it.

I have to let Amari know not every cop is bad. You can’t judge every cop based on what

you see going on. Don’t be afraid, I don’t want you to live in fear. I want to you to be cautious. Simple human decency goes a long way. Always be polite. Remember cops are humans to before they are a cop’s they are regular people like me and you. They have a job to do but there are some cops who abuse power.

When you see something is not right you have to be willing to take a stance to play your

part in making things right. Like the saying goes “you have to stand for something, or you will fall for anything”. The stance I choose to make is gaining knowledge about the Criminal Justice system. Starting small organizations in my community to help with better policing within communities.

The pandemic ruined a lot of opportunities and things along the lines for many people. For me it only took a few school opportunities but throughout quarantine I met someone who might have changed my life already. Not being able to go hang out makes you see things clearly. I lost a lot of friends during this pandemic, but despite that I was able to meet my girlfriend and other friends who are actually interested in being my friend and accepting me for who I am. This is one of the reasons why the pandemic wasn’t that bad to me specifically, because it has made some good changes to my life that I am extremely happy for. I have also learned the true definition of family bonding for the simple fact that I have been closer to mom more than ever due to being quarantined and I cherish the time I spend with her at all times.

Outside the friendships, family relationships and values I’ve learned from my COVID experiences, I have also been focusing on myself more than ever. During high school I had a problem of putting stuff before myself more than I should have and not worrying about my own stability. It used to affect me and cause me to have anxiety attacks, but thanks to COVID I have been able to focus on my mental health more, and generally be in a good mood and better mentality. Also in my personal opinion, COVID was what planet earth needed. If you look at recent statistics, the overall pollution has went down and earth is at its healthiest point and is improving because a lot of people are staying home.

I’m not saying COVID is a good thing, that’s why I would like to express sympathy for those who have lost loved ones because that is a truly horrible situation no one should have to go through, but even through dark there must be light and that’s been my view point on this global pandemic.

Now to make our situation even worse the cases went up as protest happened in the name of George Floyd . Personally I didn’t attend any because of the risk of bringing COVID to my elders in my family. I stand with protesters myself being a young African American man who has experienced injustice first hand. America must understand that the African American community has tried to have a voice for themselves for years now in a peaceful way and still are, but because some people do things such as burn buildings, they make it clear they are not a part of that movement which gives the true message a bad look. To return back to my point in the beginning, my friends and I prepared for the protest; we had signs, masks and milk because we saw how crowds were being tear gassed, but as the protest were rising so were COVID cases, but people were so uneasy that covid didn’t matter.

To further the discussion of me improving my relationship with my mother because of all the time we had, me and my mother did things such as watch movies, cook , and even indulged in board games along the lines. This is one of the pros from Covid that I can appreciate me and my mom never got to be this close because she always worked but since covid we had some time together to enjoy each other’s company. While doing these we also discussed the pandemic and other things such as the protest. My mother felt the pandemic is something that can be easily stopped if people stayed home and it slowly turned into a debate, my side was that our society can’t stay home because our economy must move forward and we must gain revenue. To further that point quarantine needed to end so education could continue to ensure the future of our country. People being quarantined didn’t cause any good beside slowing down the rate of covid because on that same note domestic violent cases went up since people were stuck at home which led to the rise in statistics.

Therefore, the pandemic has pros and cons depending on the outlook of the person, for me personally the pandemic took and gave me different opportunities that I will keep with me. Through the pandemic I have learned more of the injustices of my people and learned more about the first amendments through protest. On the subject of how long will this pandemic last, I have no clue but I know the only way we’ll get through is that if we stick together as a country because if we don’t we’ll just fall apart. In conclusion this is a rough time for us all and we must try to find the best throughout all the bad.

My family has been in the hot dog business for over 80 years. Our business survived the Great Depression, so we knew that it would be possible to make it through the Covid-19 Pandemic. When the news about Covid hit, our first thought was, “We got this!” We immediately got to work, knowing that it would not be easy. We were determined to do everything we could to endure while the world was in the midst of a global crisis.

Our first step of action was to research as much as we could about the virus so that we could provide the safest possible environment for our loyal customers. We realized that one of the most important parts of the pandemic, as it pertained to our business, would be to make everyone comfortable. So, we had a meeting with all of our employees to discuss the increased cleaning regimen we would be adding to our already stringent cleaning policies. With Phase I in place, we were only allowed to offer to-go food. To keep our business afloat, we decided that we would need to adapt to our situation and alter our business model. We began offering curbside service and free deliveries for the first time ever. Our restaurant already had a 1950’s diner theme, so we made the best of our situation and started car hopping like there was no tomorrow. Soon, we were shouting out orders left and right, and our carhops were running back and forth like Speed Racer. Initially, our longest-tenured employees resisted the change, comfortable with the roles that they had behind the counter prior to Covid. However, once everyone got on board with the program, our curbside service became a huge success: Our customers embraced the change with us, especially enthralled that we were offering a service that we had never been able to provide. Before the pandemic struck, our landlord enforced a strict policy about limited parking spaces per restaurant (despite the massive parking lots adjacent to our shopping center). However, with all of the turmoil that we were experiencing, he too decided to loosen up his rules a bit. He even donated some curbside serving trays that could be hung on our customers’ windows.

When Phase II commenced, we were allowed to offer half-capacity indoor seating. After the announcement of this exciting news, we stepped up our game even more so that our customers would be aware that we were giving a valiant effort to protect them. We made printouts of proper cleaning procedures and signs asking our customers to please wear masks, and we posted them all around our store. In addition to the posting the proper health etiquette placards, we placed stickers on our floor that looked like giant footprints, and we spaced them six feet apart to show our customers where they should stand in order to maintain proper social distance. Finally, we made available both hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes throughout the store. Despite the smell of the lemon-scented sanitizer wipes, the aroma of our delicious homemade chili dogs was still the first thing to hit your nose as you walked in the door… It took some adjusting for everyone to get used to the new social distancing procedures. However, with our top-notch staff, it quickly became second nature. Our customers who had grown weary with limited restaurant options were ecstatic that they would once again be allowed to go into their favorite restaurant to enjoy our world-famous hot dogs. We too were super pleased with the new allocations, as our devoted customers truly add to the ambience of our family-owned restaurant.

Once Phase III was initiated, we knew that we would have a tough task ahead, as we have a tendency to get extremely busy. Typically, this wouldn’t have been be an issue. But, in addition to serving our customers, we had the extra task of helping manage the long lines with proper distancing measures in place. We also had to maintain our new curbside and delivery services. So, instead of giving in to the trend of letting some of our staff go and shrinking our business, we actually hired some new employees to help facilitate our business to the degree that our customers have come to expect for the last 80 years.

We have surely learned a lot during the Covid-19 Pandemic. It has allowed us to cater to the needs of our customers, and that has helped us develop some close relationships that we might not have been able to otherwise achieve. We have brought back a youthful exuberance in our older customers who had not seen real carhops since their younger days. We started personally delivering our food for the first time ever, which has provided us with new customers outside of our typical realm. We have also learned a lot about ourselves and how, despite how good we may think we are, there is always some room for growth. I am proud, knowing in my heart that our family business has done as much as humanly possible to provide outstanding customer service and a calming atmosphere for this chaotic world. Together, we got this!