By: Mia Maricic, Seventh During the first week of quarantine, I felt like I was going crazy. I thought this would never end and I was constantly feeling sad. The world was turning upside down and I was scared. I lost all hope. I just wanted it all to end. I was afraid of what was happening now and what was to happen in the future. That hopeless, empty, dreading feeling went on for about a week. As I turned on the news and saw the chaos engulfing the world, my fear only grew. As did my remorse for all the people who had been infected and were suffering without their families able to be there to support them. It made me angry how so many people were acting selfishly and not staying at home, knowing that they may be putting others at risk. Just because they may not be in the high-risk group, they may still be carriers and can transmit the disease to others who are at higher risk. It made me angry when I saw leaders competing and including politics in this, for we should not be fighting one another. We all have one common enemy, COVID-19, and we should put aside our differences and work together as one.
Soon enough, I began to think about quarantine as a time of opportunity, of self-discovery. I thought about how much time I would have on my hands, and the situation seemed brighter. I became my regular self again, not constantly sad and filled with worry. I thought of this as a time to improve on my drawing, painting, and writing. I even began learning guitar, something I had been wanting to do for a while. I also began learning to play chess better. I finally had time for things I normally didn’t have time for. I got to spend more time than usual with my parents, which was an interesting experience. With each passing day, my respect for the people on the front lines grew. The fact that they risked their health every day to help others was inspiring. Every time I saw pictures of doctors or police doing their jobs, it gave me courage. At one point, every night at 8, people came out on their balconies and cheered for the people on the front lines. One night, firefighters paraded around our street, and more people than ever came out on their balconies and cheered. It truly was inspiring. I was thinking about all those who were supposed to graduate this year and the ones who had gotten ready for prom. I feel bad for them, and I hope these activities can resume once this calms down. Although so many lives have been lost, the number of cases has been slowly declining. It is my sincere hope that this will be over soon. I have also noticed a dramatic impact on the environment. The pollution levels around the world have gone down, along with several other changes. I hope that we will come out of this with newfound knowledge. Social distancing has taught me to greatly appreciate everything that I have because now I know what it is like to spend time without it. I have taken this quarantine as a learning experience, and I hope others have as well. Stay safe, and I hope to see everyone soon.
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Mia Maricic |