Hi! My name is Isabella G., I’m 15 and I live in New York. My dream job is to become a high school art teacher! I love art and want to help others with their art! My favorite author is Jodi Picoult. My favorite book that she wrote is My Sister’s Keeper. It’s so moving and I suggest that others read it. I love old music. Music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s is my favorite. I’m passionate about art (if that wasn’t clear), helping the environment, and human rights. Even though there is plenty to do in quarantine, I do miss some things from before we were all stuck at home. First off, like many others, I miss my friends and family. I miss going out to restaurants and movies. I was and still am part of Model U.N. in my school and I’m part of a group in town that raises funds to support others. We have fundraisers to support important causes.
Honestly, in the beginning, quarantine was tough for me. I’m an introvert but I didn’t realize how much I missed my friends and family. I didn’t realize how important the people I saw every day were to me. After a little while and started to get used to staying at home by trying to keep busy. I started to draw more and watch tv. But what I found was the most helpful was going on walks. I didn’t go on many walks besides to and from school every day. I found that listening to music or talking to friends on the phone while walking helped me to forget for a moment what was happening around me. I later started to go on socially distanced walks with my friends which were helpful. We walk six feet apart while still being about to hang out. That is the only thing that kept me sane. Socially distanced walks and hangouts helped me. I even went on a socially distanced hike with my friend for her birthday! Seeing people, even if they are far away has been helpful.
One of the harder things for me was sticking to a routine. When we still went to school, I was used to sticking to a schedule because I had to. But during quarantine, I found it difficult to not procrastinate. What I found helpful was when my school started online learning. We used Google Meet for classes and I would have half my classes on one day and then the other half the next day. It was hard and a little strange at first to be in class while in my room but I got used to it. The club that I’m in, Model U.N. even had an online conference with other schools. And the other group in town did Google Meets to stay in touch. What I found strange was that I started to miss school. But it wasn’t just me, everyone I talked to said that they missed going to school. I figured out that it was because not only did I miss structure but I missed seeing people every day. That’s what I learned about myself: that I feel better when I do the same thing every day. A schedule is very good for me and at school, I am given that.
The difference between freedom pre and post quarantine for me is being able to make decisions and plans without needing to incorporate a global pandemic into the conversation. Before the pandemic, there weren’t any rules about hanging out with others. I miss being able to see others without planning so much. Like I’ve said above, I need structure. That’s why this is an interesting question for me. Even though I need some form of structure, I don’t want it to interfere with having fun with friends and family.
As much as I dislike quarantine, I do like having a little more time to myself. Before quarantine, there was always a lot going on and I didn’t have much time to just chill out. Now, I have plenty of it. I’ve used the time to draw more than I usually do and connect with my friends. Quarantine has allowed me to chill out instead of needing to move from thing to thing.
In my town, some restaurants and stores are starting to open which makes me nervous. My advice to someone reading this would be to inform themselves about what is going on but also not to worry too much. There is a lot of hate going on in the world and it is scary. But instead of hiding and being nervous, take a stand and make a change. I’d also like to say that the world will get better. COVID 19 will be stopped and at one point, we will be able to go outside again. But to do this, to stop not only the pandemic but also the hate that is being aimed towards others, is going to be difficult. My advice is to stand up and help the world. It only takes one person to stand up and say something but it takes a group of people to start a movement.