<journal>

What is uncertainty?

noun

1. the state of being uncertain.

Well then, what is the definition of uncertain?

adjective

1. not able to be relied on; not known or definite.

I know I've used the word "Insanity" earlier during the pandemic to describe living in quarantine. However, over the course of slightly over a month, things have changed quite a bit. There have been many protests recently about re-opening public areas, as the economy is suffering quite significantly. "Insanity" is still a word I could use to describe our current situation, but I've seen myself starting to lean towards a different word to describe the pandemic, "uncertainty."

On the last day of on-campus instruction at my school, I was told that online learning would only occur for a month, and that afterwards we would return back to school. Well, what happened to that? Here I am, in Mid-May with about three weeks of school left, and even attending Middle School promotion from home. Who knew that that Friday would be the last day I attended Middle School on campus?

In my eyes, the future of 2020 is extremely uncertain. Even many colleges are moving to online schooling for the fall semester in the 2020-2021 school year! This pandemic could end within a month, or it could last another half a year, or it could cause even more problems than now, who knows! I was looking forward to spending time with my friends in the summer, but as of now, I don't think that will even be a possibility.

When will I ever get to meet back up with my friends? Will I attend the first day of High School online or on campus? Are we going to find a cure to the coronavirus and be able to control the pandemic? There's so many questions that we can ask about our current situation, and for many of these questions, we don't have a definite answer.

Uncertainty. The perfect word to describe our current situation in lockdown - these next few months will be uncertain and no one knows what will happen. At this point, all I really can do is to hope for the best, and hope that things will get back to normal soon.

What exactly is beauty? Can't everyone have a different perception of what is beautiful in their own eyes? (The answer is a definite yes, if you are wondering.) Well, there are many things that I find beautiful. Let me share one thing I find beauty in - oceans. In my opinion, the ocean is a beautiful place, and I'm lucky enough to be able to have a birds-eye view of it from my backyard. However, there's so much more that makes me love this place other than the visual and auditory components. Don't get me wrong, relaxing on the shore and just watching the waves roll in is an amazing feeling, but I find beauty in oceans for other reasons also.

What's always fascinated me about oceans is that these waters are what separate and divide so many living species in this world. Inside the aquatic world is where water organisms dwell and spend their lives, swimming through the waters. However, right as the water meets the shore, above it, there's a new world where land species such as us, humans, live. This concept has always been interesting to me because I've always wondered how different living in an aquatic environment would be like. This is one reason I find oceans such a beautiful place, it provides housing and resources to 15% of all species on Earth. Those aquatic species are living completely different lives than ours, one we will never get to experience.

Well, let's move on to my other point for why I find oceans beautiful. Often along the shore of oceans, especially where I live on the west coast of California, there are sand volleyball courts, barbecue charcoal grills for cooking food, bonfire pits, and so many other cool additions. There are many things that I can do here with a large group of friends, or even just a few people - swim in the ocean, host parties or meetups, eat S',mores by a bonfire, etc... All of these activities encourage me, personally, to create memories that I can carry on with me forever. Memories - they're an extremely important part of my life. They're always there for me to look back at and reflect upon, or just there for me to tell myself, "man, don't I miss those good old days." The ocean is a perfect place that I can make these memories that play such a significant role in my life.

Well, here's one thing I find beautiful. Even though oceans may not seem beautiful to you, or maybe they do but for other reasons, always remember this - it's no ones job to tell you what you should find beautiful. Don't let their opinions alter what YOU find true beauty in. Everyone sees beauty in a different way, and maybe you could even find beauty in something as weird as a paper stapler.

So, let me end with this. Step outside your comfort zone and don't care about what others may think, but chase after what you truly find beauty in. It could be lurking anywhere, but you definitely won't regret it when you find this treasure.

Whenever you have the opportunity to, always take time to thank a medical worker for what they do. Without any of these heroes, our human population would definitely be at major risk, especially during a time like right now. These are the workers who save people, and prevent them from death due to sickness, the coronavirus, and other health complications.Thank you!

• After the 14-day quarantine period is over, you are free to do whatever you want in Taiwan, as long as you are careful.

That's right, once you are clear of quarantine, you're allowed to go anywhere in Taiwan without ANY restrictions, but it's still a good idea to be extremely careful, especially because the virus is still prevalent and can be fatal to those who catch it. However, I can tell that the quarantine system in Taiwan is working very successfully. Even though Taiwan is so close to China and has lots of combined businesses with China, the entire country has only reported 6 deaths due to COVID-19. This is one of the lowest death rates of COVID-19 out of all countries around the world, and is extremely impressive considering how closely related Taiwan is with China. During the interview, my friend even told me, "after the fourteen day quarantine is over, I look most forward to visiting my relatives and shopping." What comfort it must be to live freely without any limitations during our current pandemic.

• Turning in homework assignments? Not a problem at all!

My friend who recently traveled to Taiwan is also in middle school. I asked her, "How are you completing school curriculum in a different time zone?" She replied with, "Since Taiwan's time zone is 15 hours ahead of California's time zone, I either finish our work ahead of time turn it in early, or turn it in at the time it is back in the U.S." I can't even wrap my head around how difficult online school would be while quarantined in a different country and time zone. All of the time differences and due dates would definitely overwhelm me! However, my friend made it seem super easy, which is something I find really interesting and cool at the same time.

Overall, I've learned a lot about quarantine in Taiwan, and it's really amazing to see how well they are doing in controlling COVID-19. I'm no doctor, and this may already be happening all over the world, but if we implement Taiwan's quarantine policy everywhere, will things start to get better? I really don't know. It's great to see quarantine from a different point of view, and this interview has definitely showed me a different perspective of handling the pandemic.

Interview Questions:

Q: Describe quarantine in Taiwan - what does a normal day look like?

A: A normal day usually consists of homework, eating, and spending time using technology.

Q: Where are you quarantined?

A: I am quarantined in an apartment.

Q: How do you buy food you need for living?

A: My family and I order food with Foodpanda or Uber Eats. This allows us to order from any restaurant, and it is delivered to our apartment. (boba, pasta, etc...)

Q: Is quarantine different from how you would've expected before entering Taiwan? In what way is it different?

A: Quarantine in Taiwan is not much different from what I expected. The only difference is that I can't actually go outside during the fourteen-day period.

Q: What are some things that keep you motivated even when you're isolated without freedom to go outside?

A: One main thing that keeps me motivated even when I'm isolated is that once my family and I are out of quarantine, we will be able to physically go outside to buy food and other items.

Q: What was the purpose of your trip to Taiwan?

A: We cam to Taiwan to visit relatives. (sickness)

Q: How are you completing school curriculum in a different time zone?

A: Since Taiwan's time zone is 15 hours ahead of California's time zone, I either finish our work ahead of time turn it in early, or turn it in at the time it is back in the U.S.

Q: What do you look most forward to doing after the fourteen day quarantine is over?

A: After the fourteen day quarantine is over, I look most forward to visiting my relatives and shopping.

Q: Anything you would like people outside of Taiwan to know about "quarantine?"

A: Again, quarantine in Taiwan isn't that different, but my family and I don't have many cooking ingredients, so we mostly order food to eat. The government does however, provide "care packages" that consist of many snacks and necessities, such as chopsticks, towels, instant noodles, thermometers, and many other items that improve our living conditions.

Born an Asian-American, I've always associated myself with Taiwanese culture. Ever since I was three years old, my family always made an annual visit to Taiwan during the summer, which is where my grandparents live. Taiwan is a completely different place, especially where I stay during most of the summer, a small, crowded city called Yuanlin. My mother spent a large part of a childhood living here, in a narrow four-story house. It's always been kind of crazy to see how different my mom's life was, and what a different life people in Taiwan live.

In Yuanlin, there's always the sound of bustling streets - even the garbage truck plays a song as it travels through town. (My relatives who visited Taiwan for their first time even thought it was an ice cream truck!) Once you step out of the house, you're greeted with the sound of friendly dialogue, motorcycles zooming by, and honking cars.

In Yuanlin, everything is mixed together. There aren't plazas specifically for stores, there aren't communities where only houses are supposed to lie, even hospitals and medical centers mixed together in this jumble. My grandparents' house share one wall with a barber shop, and the other wall with a restaurant, something that's always been crazy to me. However, this has allowed me to always feel a sense of connection with the people here. Living so close to everyone, it's so easy to meet new faces and make a new friend.

I would wake up early every morning to walk across the street to an outdoor food stand for breakfast, and it was always the same lady who served breakfast to customers. Over the years, I've built a pretty solid friendship with her. Whenever I was waiting for my food, she would always ask me about what was new in my life, what I was planning to do that day, and just checking in with how I was doing. And that's only one of the countless friends I've made.

Many of my close friends in Taiwan are also old friends from San Diego who moved. We always try to visit all of them at least once every summer, usually by taking a High Speed Rail train up to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. It's always a good time to see them again, and although the reunion is short-lived, this is another way I feel a strong sense of connection with the people here. I've never really enjoyed the style of living in Taiwan. It's not something I'm used to at all, as my style of living in America is completely different.

Even though living in Taiwan isn't my favorite, it always has had a special place in my heart, because of this connection I've been talking about. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, my family and I are not going to be visiting Taiwan this summer, which is something we've done for the past ten years. Visiting Taiwan is the only time I ever get to see my grandparents and my friends who live in Taiwan, and it's hard to believe that I won't see them again this year. As my grandparents are getting older and older, their bodies are weakening, and any type of sickness could be fatal.

So what point am I trying to convey? Spend time with your loved ones whenever you get the opportunity to, and don't take that time for granted. Life's unpredictable, no one can read the future. Anything could happen at any moment in life, and anything could slip away from you instantly.

Cherish these moments, and spend it like its the last time it'll ever happen.

This whole pandemic has been extremely emotionally draining, and it's hard to wrap my head around the whole situation our world has gotten itself into.

I have basically been stuck in my house for about a month now, and I think I've only gone out of the house during this whole pandemic twice. (I can't even remember exactly how many times I've gone outside!) And yeah, I still see my classmates very often. We have online meetings for school, and I FaceTime my friends very frequently, but it always feels like something is missing - the physical aspect. Even though I'm talking with them and have the chance to socialize with others during this pandemic, it's not the same as before, where we could actually see each other physically and not only through a computer or phone screen. At the end of the day, it's hard to fathom that you've spent the majority of your day sitting in your room, and the whole day inside your house. (Or at least for me.)

I remember the last day our school campus was open for instruction and the happiness I felt on that day. It honestly felt like a well-deserved break to me, after all of the hard work I've been putting in throughout the school year. Our school had sent an announcement during class stating that school was planned to be returning on April 13th, the week after spring break. I thought to myself, 'I'll see all my friends again soon." Little did I know, this return date would be postponed and have an "indefinite" label placed on it.

When I first heard about this, I had a mental breakdown. I took it as a wake-up call - one which showed me that every moment in life is important and should be cherished. Many of my friends were going to a different high school, and I didn't know if I would ever be able to see some of them again - at least for a very long time. This thought wouldn't escape my mind, and it was a hard concept to think about. I tried distracting myself and filling my mind with other thoughts, but this one horrifying thought - it always lingered in the back of my head. Questions started to flood my mind - When will the lockdown end? Will I ever be able to see (friend's name) again? What will life be like after the pandemic?

At this point, I came to the conclusion that the situation was out of my control, and all I could do was hope for the best. Maybe in a few days, everything will be opened again. I mean, who knows - no one can read the future. I've learned ways to help cope with my emotions throughout this time. Partaking in activities that I never had much interest in helped quite a lot, because it gave me something new to learn about or look forward to.

"When are things going to go back to normal?"

"When will I be able to see my friends again?"

Yes, this last month has been quite emotionally draining, but I've told myself to fight through and seek the positives in life. If you fill yourself with negativity, you won't get anywhere, but if you look for the good things in life, the situation will only get better.

Stay safe, stay hopeful, but most importantly, stay happy!

Insanity. That's probably the best word to describe our current situation. People all around the world are being labeled with this "coronavirus" disease, the disease that is responsible for 111,882 deaths in the last 17 days, and jokes about it are still being made? Last week (the week of 4/12), "another 5.2 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits" (The Wall Street Journal), and people still aren't taking this seriously? Even a widely-known popular figure, NBA Player Rudy Gobert, had to show the world he didn't care a slight bit. After a pregame press conference, he playfully touched all of the reporters' microphones, showing what a joke the coronavirus meant to him. As a result, two days after the incident occurred, he tested positive for COVID-19, along with his teammate Donovan Mitchell, and his actions caused the entire NBA to shutdown.

Now onto another point. The coronavirus has also encouraged racism throughout the world, and people are using this disease as a platform to insult Chinese people. All because the coronavirus was believed to have been developed in China, all types of people are finding it appropriate to put down Chinese people - and not only the Chinese but in many cases, the majority of Asians. Two weeks ago, I was talking with some of the people who go to my school in a group chat. One of them started throwing insults at me, thinking that I was Chinese. Turns out, even though I'm Taiwanese-American, just because I look like someone from China means that I am a victim of this discrimination. It's all extremely unacceptable, and in my opinion, adding racism to the current mix of insanity is only making this pandemic a billion times worse. It's already hard enough to find a solution to control the spread of the coronavirus (which we haven't entirely found yet), and the racism part of this catastrophe is leaving another mess for our world to clean up.

Can we even talk about how surreal this time is? Two months ago, I knew what the coronavirus was, I knew I had to be very careful, I knew that washing my hands frequently throughout the day was helpful. However, did I know that the coronavirus would make me take school in front of a screen every day for the rest of the school year? Did I know that the coronavirus would force me to stay in the house for nearly a month? No. Better yet, I didn't even have the slightest idea that our school campus was going to close the day before it happened. On March 12th, I was texting my friend about what I thought would happen to our school as a result of the pandemic. I told her, "there's not a single possibility that we are moving to online school ever." Her reply to my statement? "I'm predicting that school will close tomorrow." She completely shocked me, as her prediction was insanely accurate. I remember the exact moment on the next day, March 13th, when my second-period teacher exclaimed to the class, "our school is now officially closed!" Just the night before, I proved that I never thought this moment would ever occur in my lifetime.

One word to describe this time in history? Insanity.

On the night of the last day before Winter Break, my church and I went on a short-term mission trip to many different parts of Mexico, and this was a trip that changed my view on life forever. Our first visitation was to a girls' orphanage located at Ensenada, Mexico. We started out by playing a few songs for them and serving them a lunch meal. I had a few brief conversations with some of the girls living there and learned a lot about what life was like for them. Before we left for the next stop on our schedule, we handed out personalized gifts with simple items like scarves, mittens, and toys - and this is when a door opened for me. I saw smiles form on their faces, tears rolling down from their eyes - they treasured their presents with thankfulness. I couldn’t believe how such a small act of kindness could affect someone so much. This is when I truly understood the value of caring and giving to others. Even something as small as this could change and impact someone’s life forever.

Throughout these past few days, you may have caught yourself thinking, “everything in my life has gone downhill.” And you’re certainly not to blame for having those thoughts - being locked up in your house, socializing through a light-emitting screen, attending school from home - it’s all quite emotionally draining. However, even when stormy clouds envelop the atmosphere, a ray of optimism is always weaving its way through, just waiting to be welcomed.

Two weeks ago, I remember the first day that our school officially closed. Things felt different. Obviously, things felt different because I wasn’t at school. But there was also something else - I could sleep in and cherish every second of it, something I was extremely thankful for. There was nothing to worry about - no tests, homework assignments, or projects for once.

Later that day, around 1:00 PM, my brother and I were hungry and ready for lunch. On an empty stomach, I was devilish - full of anger and impatience. My mom, knowing she needed to feed me before I would have gone insane, opened the fridge to look for food, but it was completely empty. As my mother formed a terrified face, the doorbell suddenly rang. “Ding-dong.” It was our next-door neighbor, and to our surprise, she was carrying a large tray of stir-fried noodles. “Here you go, stay safe!” she said to us. Seconds later, I was at the kitchen table, devouring the noodles in satisfaction. I thought to myself, “was this small act of kindness a coincidence?”

Often throughout times of hardships is when we forget how amazing our world truly is. A small act of kindness can go a long way. Small moments like these still happen during these times, and small moments like these should be treasured with gratitude.

Affected countries and territories (CDC)

In 2015, Bill Gates presented a TED Talk titled, “The next outbreak? We’re not ready.” One key point that Gates, the founder of Microsoft, elaborated on was that the world would need to prepare for biological attacks. He later noted that the next major future threat could be a virus that is highly contagious, or as Bill Gates says, “a virus where people feel well enough while they’re infectious that they get on a plane or they go to a market” (USA Today).

And he was right. In 2020, COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus, left the world in shock. And here I am, attending school from home through my desktop computer, a possibility I would never have wrapped my head around even two weeks ago. One thing for certain is: this is the first time in my life I haven’t left the house for over two weeks! Stores are closing, people are rushing into the supermarket to hoard all of the food they can, even toilet paper is running out of stock. And the worst of it all - we no longer have a sufficient amount of medical supplies! We are living through one of the craziest outbreaks in history!

What is the novel coronavirus? It’s a highly contagious disease that originated during November of 2019, which caused the Chinese city of Wuhan to completely lockdown. However, this virus has now spread across to more than half of the world’s countries.

Some major countries that are currently affected are:

• China

• United States

• Iran

• France

• Germany

• Italy

Over the span of just over five months, “921,000 infections have been confirmed in at least 180 countries and territories. ” (Coronavirus Pandemic). This is a great example of the famous saying, “a small spark can start a great fire.”

Current numbers as of 4/1/2020 (updated after written) (google)

Worldwide:

• 932,605 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (or novel coronavirus)

• 46,809 deaths

(these numbers are rising by the minute)

Although there is currently no vaccine to prevent this disease, the World Health Organization has offered a few steps to help prevent this disease from spreading, which include:

• Washing your hands regularly for 20 seconds, with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

• Cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or an elbow when you cough or sneeze

• Avoid close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell

• Stay home and self-isolate from others in the household if you feel unwell

Effects of the Coronavirus:

The novel coronavirus has caused a major downfall in the economy all throughout the world. Currently, we are in one of the worst stock market crashes ever. Small companies are closing down for good, as they are unable to earn money during this time. Employees are being fired, as there isn’t a sufficient amount of money to pay all of them anymore. Schools are forced into an online schooling environment, as campuses are no longer a safe place anymore. Professional sports leagues are suspending their seasons, as the number of confirmed cases among the players continue to pile up.

What can WE do about it?

Overall, this pandemic has marked its name in the history books. News channels, social media, schools, you name it! They are all talking about one central topic: COVID-19, and its effects on many aspects of today’s world and society.

However, it’s not too late to take action. Let’s not treat this as a joke, let’s not treat this by saying “oh, it’s not gonna kill me,” let’s not treat this like it’s unstoppable. Instead of panicking, we together, as the people of Earth, should take the necessary precautions to fight this battle and defeat this epidemic. Things as simple as just washing your hands frequently, not rubbing your eyes, ears, mouth, or nose, and staying out of large public gatherings will help this Earth take one step towards a coronavirus-free world.