Quarantine Lessons

I would've never thought 11 days after my birthday the world would crumble into pieces. When I first heard about “Covid-19” it was in China I did not take it seriously. I saw tik toks and all these videos being made about the virus I thought it was funny. The week of March 8, 2020, all my peers in school were all waiting for the call that school will be closed. We expected it to be a fun break from school.

Until March 13 I found out it could be the end of my last middle school year. I started to think about the formal, class trip, dance showcase, cookout, and all of the fun activities that will be taken away from us. It got me very upset because I’ve been waiting for 2 years since my brother was in 8th grade to go to formal and participate in all the fun stuff towards the end of the year and for me to find out I would miss out on it broke my heart.

That same day after school I went over my best friend Jada’s house and I was there until about 11:30 pm so I called my mom asking if I can sleepover and she said “No we have to be social distancing” not only is Jada my best friend but their family is our family too that's when it hit me I started to question myself, when will I see my friends again? Is the school year over? Do I have to sit in the house all day? Am I not able to go outside for the rest of 2020? I was supposed to start fresh in the year 2020 and now I do not even have a chance.

March 23, 2020, I had been in the house for 10 days straight. I was doing the same routine: wake up, brush my teeth, eat, go on my phone, sleep over and over and over again. I was entirely bored and I was getting cabin fever. I was on my phone scrolling through my feed and I saw this quote, “Today why don't you love a little deeper, laugh a little louder, hold the ones you love a little tighter because tomorrow isn't promised.” So I decided if I’m going to be home for a month or more than I might as well make good out of it, so that night I prayed to ask God to help the world come together and help us get through this pandemic to help us look on the bright side. The next day I woke up, I did something different this time I got dressed and ready for school I brushed my teeth I did my hair I ate breakfast and I started my school work and then after that, I decided I should practice basketball while we are on this break so I practiced outside for about 2 hours with my brother. I started thinking about how one day I'm living a regular life the next day I'm not. I started to think about how I need to appreciate stuff more.

I lost my uncle due to this virus, one minute I see him, the next minute he's gone. All the family gatherings will not be the same. This pandemic has changed my point of view on the world, I will stop procrastinating saying “I will do it tomorrow” because tomorrow isn't promised. Not only that but why wait to do something if you can do it. Not only is the quarantine a bad thing but you have to look at it both ways. I approached it by getting better at things I lack in such as “procrastination”. I will appreciate everything I have, I will not take opportunities for granted.

I started to feel like God was giving me answers, like the reason he brought this upon us is that he was tired of us fighting with each other and being so hateful so now we have no choice but to be with our family and cherish little time with each other and love because he can take anything away from us at any second. This pandemic has changed me spiritually and got me closer to God.

Before this pandemic, me and my family were very busy and my brother would have basketball tournaments and school. My parents had work. Everyone was always doing something we barely got time to sit down. It brought my family closer. Now we can have a family game night, movie night and just have dinner together which we didn't have time for before. So not only is this negative, there is a positive side to it. I gave my mom and my grandma a pedicure. I did my brother's hair. I did yard work with my dad and cleaned the attic with my mom. I enjoy spending quality time with my family.

The remote learning is a new way of learning it is way more difficult than school because you don't have as much support and help from your teachers but it is adjustable and we are making history in our community nobody has ever done this before not only that but it will help us later in life to be independent adults to not be dependent on others.

Overall the “Covid-19” has taken over the world and it hurt many families that some of their family members will not be in there family pictures anymore and they didn't get to say there final “good-bye”.But when this is over everybody’s mindset will be new the world will be better than it ever was and we will get through this together I believe it.