In Light Of, But Not Limited To, COVID-19
Now that you're all holed up in your homes in sweatpants and work-appropriate attire from the waist up for your Zoom meetings...
My goal for this age of social distancing and pandemic is to write more. And hike more but that is beside the point. When I lived in Togo, I participated in National Novel Writing Month three times. That is three years of writing 50,000 words in one month. That's insane. Now that I'm in college, I probably write 50,000 words in an academic year. But I find that aside from a few special papers I've written for particularly inspiring classes, most of these written words mean nothing to me. But things are changing now.
Our world is experiencing something that people alive now have never experienced. It is new territory for everyone, and if anyone else shares my feelings about the way COVID-19 is taking over our lives, it feels like everything is out of our control. Three weeks ago I was writing a few bullet points about coronavirus for my French Civ class à la «il y a quatre infectés au bateau vers Japon». Today, I am moved out of my college dorm, preparing to take classes for my bachelor's degree on a computer in my bedroom at my parents' house, and unable to buy more than two cartons of eggs from Kroger. I'm not supposed to see any friends, and if I do, it is advised that we stay six feet apart and/or self-quarantine. Every person you encounter in public is suddenly okay with candor. The diplomatic veneer of Americans that confused me so much when I moved here in high school has been replaced with sighs and frank admissions of struggle. "Things are crazy." And we don't even need to clarify what we refer to.
All of that to say. I cope with writing. And right now, one of the best things writing can do is assure the world that what one person is feeling, so many people are also feeling. I am not the only one who had to say goodbye to my senior friends prematurely. Not the only one who rotates days in pajamas with days in full hair and make-up, just to have done something. We are all, to some extent worried about this virus. Most of us have stepped out in public, throwing caution to the wind, only to find that this coffee shop will be closing for the foreseeable future. *barista gives unfortunate smile* Some of us feel like this is a lightened workload and homestay vacation. Some of us know and worry for someone we love who is sick. Whatever the case, we are all in uncharted hot water. We all know that we need to wash our hands and observe social distancing. But the facts are these: people are sick and dying. More will get sick and die. And none of us know how long this will go on.
I think this is a good time to channel my creative side. I have been taking many Biology classes that leave no room for creative outlet, and since I'm no longer a part of a dance company or theatre production, those of us whose outlets are artistic must look for ways to avoid stunting. Ever since I got back from my gap year, I have been looking for a time and place to tell so many stories that I've been sitting on. I don't want this to turn into a narrative about life during COVID-19, but rather a glimpse into how this situation can be taken advantage of. So let's listen to some stories in the meantime, shall we?
My goal for this age of social distancing and pandemic is to write more. And hike more but that is beside the point. When I lived in Togo, I participated in National Novel Writing Month three times. That is three years of writing 50,000 words in one month. That's insane. Now that I'm in college, I probably write 50,000 words in an academic year. But I find that aside from a few special papers I've written for particularly inspiring classes, most of these written words mean nothing to me. But things are changing now.
Our world is experiencing something that people alive now have never experienced. It is new territory for everyone, and if anyone else shares my feelings about the way COVID-19 is taking over our lives, it feels like everything is out of our control. Three weeks ago I was writing a few bullet points about coronavirus for my French Civ class à la «il y a quatre infectés au bateau vers Japon». Today, I am moved out of my college dorm, preparing to take classes for my bachelor's degree on a computer in my bedroom at my parents' house, and unable to buy more than two cartons of eggs from Kroger. I'm not supposed to see any friends, and if I do, it is advised that we stay six feet apart and/or self-quarantine. Every person you encounter in public is suddenly okay with candor. The diplomatic veneer of Americans that confused me so much when I moved here in high school has been replaced with sighs and frank admissions of struggle. "Things are crazy." And we don't even need to clarify what we refer to.
All of that to say. I cope with writing. And right now, one of the best things writing can do is assure the world that what one person is feeling, so many people are also feeling. I am not the only one who had to say goodbye to my senior friends prematurely. Not the only one who rotates days in pajamas with days in full hair and make-up, just to have done something. We are all, to some extent worried about this virus. Most of us have stepped out in public, throwing caution to the wind, only to find that this coffee shop will be closing for the foreseeable future. *barista gives unfortunate smile* Some of us feel like this is a lightened workload and homestay vacation. Some of us know and worry for someone we love who is sick. Whatever the case, we are all in uncharted hot water. We all know that we need to wash our hands and observe social distancing. But the facts are these: people are sick and dying. More will get sick and die. And none of us know how long this will go on.
I think this is a good time to channel my creative side. I have been taking many Biology classes that leave no room for creative outlet, and since I'm no longer a part of a dance company or theatre production, those of us whose outlets are artistic must look for ways to avoid stunting. Ever since I got back from my gap year, I have been looking for a time and place to tell so many stories that I've been sitting on. I don't want this to turn into a narrative about life during COVID-19, but rather a glimpse into how this situation can be taken advantage of. So let's listen to some stories in the meantime, shall we?
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