March 13, 2020, was the last day of what felt normal in my life. It was the last day I would wake up at 6 am to catch the B82 and stand back to back with people. I have never seen a crowded bus since that day and that should say a lot considering how many take NYC transportation. I remember my 8 am class that day; kids were popping jokes about the world ending. This one guy came in with a mask and gloves on, we all thought it was super weird, but who knew that would be our new normal. I was praying so hard that we would have a two-week break but little did I know it would extend well beyond a year. It was a year of personal growth that I don’t think would have changed me that much had the pandemic not happened. It was not Covid that I feared it was more so not knowing what the future had in store. It was frightening how quiet the streets were and even if you did see someone it was 6ft away with an N95.
I graduated from my living room on June 30th, 2020, as my graduation was live-streamed on YouTube. I can’t wait to tell future generations what it was like because it really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, well hopefully. It was kind of depressing because I expected to have family around but it was just me and my mom watching from my couch. I’m really a go big or go home type of person so if you told me this was the way things would be back in 2019 I would’ve cried. That wasn’t the case here though, I was genuinely grateful that we were sitting there happy and healthy. The pandemic made me appreciate the people around me so much more. I was so naive to think that nothing would ever happen to the ones I love but the constant fear of one of them catching covid took a toll on me.
If you could ask the person I was in March if she believed that she would grow as a person as a result of the quarantine, she would have laughed in your face and locked herself in her room. But as I spent more time with myself away from the outside world, I started to do the thing that had always scared me the most: self-reflect. Self-reflection was something I did at night when I couldn’t sleep because I’d said something dumb six months ago. More specifically, I got to know myself and the people around me.
Hello Jennifer,
I like how made good realizations, I also like how you talked about what you had to learn from the pandemic.
How I think you can improve on your piece is by bringing up how your life was like before the pandemic? What led you to make these realizations? What emotional or mental rollercoaster did you go through? what obstacles did you go through? How did you feel about the pandemic and people having to be in quarantine? These questions should help you expand your ideas and you don’t have to answer all but only the lines you think best helps you with your wiring.
I agree I should add a different piece that documents more so an obstacle, thanks for the advice!
Hey Jennifer, I agree with you that March 13 felt like the last normal day that we all had. It’s crazy how after the pandemic so many things have changed. For example, you mentioned that you haven’t seen a bus that is crowded which is very difficult to see on a normal day in the city. I like the way that you kept questioning your past self in March, it creates a sense of moving forward. I agree with the comment above mind that you could add specific obstacles that you went through since March of last year that has helped you and your personal growth. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your piece.