It’s hard to believe that a bit over seven months ago, we were going about our daily lives — going to school at an arguably ungodly hour, talking to friends at lunch (without masks on our faces to muffle our words), attending sports practice or club meetings (or both) — and likely taking it all for granted. Little did we know, we would suddenly be forced to limit our contact with others to nobody but our family members all at once. I don’t know about everyone else, but it has definitely taken a mental and emotional toll on me.
Thankfully, quarantine hasn’t been entirely so dreadful. Sometimes, it helps to view the glass of water as being half-full. Other than the obvious benefits of having a more flexible schedule as well as getting the chance to get a bit more sleep (a luxury for high schoolers like us), I’ve tried to stay in touch with a few of my friends, having weekly video calls and even occasional (socially distanced) bike rides together. It’s definitely refreshing to take a break from the monotonous and overwhelming home environment for a little while to just enjoy the nice weather. Especially since autumn is my absolute favorite season, biking outside is the perfect way to appreciate nature as well as get in some exercise, preferably with a podcast to make the ride a bit less lonely.
Additionally, I’ve also tried to improve myself as well. Whether it be doing a much-needed room clean-out, creating a new study space, or taking online courses on platforms like Coursera, I was able to delve deeper into my interests. Throughout the course of the summer, I took classes on everything from how the TV show Fresh Off The Boat portrayed the lives of a Chinese-American family here in America to coffee (you’d be surprised at just how diverse the popular beverage really is). Speaking of coffee, I just had to hop on the dalgona coffee trend as well, and I’ve perfected my energy-saving and time-efficient hand-whisking methodology. Another food item that I can’t get enough of making is, of course, chocolate chip banana bread (emphasis on the word “chocolate”, because it’s a universal rule that everything sweet is almost always inherently better with chocolate). A total of seven times I have baked this dessert since the beginning of quarantine, and I am no closer to getting tired of it than I was in March.
Of course, the pastimes I’ve discovered during this time wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the new shows I watched. I’m grateful for the time to allow myself to relax, if only a bit more than usual. Jumping on the Avatar: The Last Airbender hype train was, to say the least, a game-changer. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of animated shows, and I’m willing to bet that it’ll take quite a while for me to stop listening to anime openings religiously on Spotify (pro tip: they make doing the dishes a lot less boring).
All in all, I truly hope everyone has managed to stay somewhat sane. It can be hard to, especially when it seems like everything around you is going up in flames, but remember to take it day by day, just as everyone else is doing. Perhaps the hobbies that I’ve picked up will inspire you to explore your own interests. And take comfort in the fact that everyone else is going through similar struggles in one way or another.
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