Quarantined, with benefits
‘Even though we don’t have the resources of school, sports and nearby playmates, we have found ways to live to the fullest’
On a cloudy morning, my younger sisters (who insist they are not little) and I set off down the hill toward our neighbor’s woods, donning muck boots and raincoats. In the muddy pond, we found one salamander- then another, and another. My sisters were thrilled to have a chance to hold them and see their funny way of swimming.
In this instance and many others, our COVID-19 induced quarantine has provided an opportunity for us to slow down and enjoy simple things, like walks in nature, more often.
During these tumultuous times, I have found, with less daily social interactions, conversations have become more meaningful and personal. Our current situation could be compared to pioneer settlers, technology and twenty-first century challenges aside; we are dependent on our families and neighbors for all friendships.
My opinion of whether this is a pro or a downside varies from day to day, and sometimes hour to hour. For the most part, I have enjoyed spending an unprecedented amount of time with my family. Although we do require breaks from each other sometimes to ensure sanity, I think we have all grown closer.
The way that my siblings and I participate in school has changed drastically in the last three weeks. The word ‘Zoom’ is overused in our house because nearly everyone needs the video chat, for church meetings, school, work, and everything in between.
Our resourceful and patient teachers are absolutely critical to our home schooling. The adaptation of our classes to online was surely no easy feat, and I think all of our educators handled it well. With Governor Northam’s announcement, all Virginian students were handed the new ability and responsibility to choose when and how they did their school work.
I enjoy being taught this way because I have more freedom. The central part of school — the learning
— has been preserved and condensed. Some of my siblings prefer to complete their work in the morning so they have the rest of the day free, and others work on school for a good part of the day. We all learn in different ways and at different speeds, so I think this personalized version of school reaches all students in a better way at this time. Also, parents and siblings are able to be very involved in their student’s learning. Even though school looks more different now than ever, we are still learning well, and have additional time to study non-school-related subjects.
After our schoolwork is finished each day, all of the kids in my family have found ways to entertain ourselves without technology. My talented brother has made several dinners for us, and even experimented with delicious baklava with homemade phyllo dough.
Several days ago, my littlest sister gave me a tour of her dignified mud cake factory. Every day is a unique holiday, like blue day or go-outside day, planned and celebrated by a hardworking committee, made up of my sisters and me. All of us have been involved in the destruction of an old fence in a nearby field to make way for a new one.
As a family, we are caring for two bottle-fed lambs (I am responsible for the lambs’ middle-of-the-night feedings, giving me a sleepy, unappealing glimpse of parenthood). Over the past few weeks, we have been watching tadpoles hatch from their eggs in a water trough on our patio.
The food pantry has a need for young, healthy volunteers, and I have been twice, greeting new and old friends from six feet away while helping. Even though we don’t have the resources of school, sports and nearby playmates, we have found ways to live to the fullest in quarantine.
With all this being said, it has not been easy. I miss my friends and our everyday conversations. I miss seeing more than the same six people every day. I miss being able to go shopping. I’m disappointed about the camps I had planned for this summer that will likely be canceled. I’m worried about my grandparents getting sick. My parents are often stuck on computers all day trying to learn how to work and carry on with life from home. Some days my siblings drive me crazy and we can’t stop fighting. It often seems like the world is falling apart around us. On days when our house is a mess, we’re all glued to our screens, and more and more bad news is flooding in, I wish I had never heard the word ‘quarantine’. However, I think that this experience will make everything after sweeter. Instead of going back to normal life, maybe we will remember the good things about this quarantine. Maybe we will all be more inclined to help, more inclined to appreciate the small blessings that aren’t always available, like leaving our houses, and toilet paper, and chicken. Maybe we will all appreciate nature more as we remember the peace that we found there in hectic times.
I hope that each of us will endure through the struggles we are facing at this time, and be able to look back on our time in quarantine and remember the small but significant, coincidental blessings.
I think that this experience will make everything after sweeter.