Well, this had to be a topic of discussion at some point, so why not talk about it in my first blog post from home. Coronavirus put me in a situation unlike most people that attend college. Although my hometown is only a little over an hour away from where I school (Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY), I have spent the past 3.5 consecutive years living at the College. I stay at the College for winter and summer breaks as well as most mini breaks like spring break. I do go home occasionally to visit my family, but that is only once every two or three months and the visit only lasts a weekend at most. I value my independence and I do my best work when I’m able to control all aspects of my life, so having an apartment year round at school is very valuable to me. Even after graduation I only planned on living at home for a month at most; the plan was to get a job and have an apartment lined up.
Now, all of that planning and structure has been FORCEFULLY thrown out the window. I am back in my parent’s house in Rockland County, NY, living with my parents and two sisters (one of which is 6 years old). Our house isn’t small, but it definitely feels that way when all five of us are home. There are perks to being home no doubt – my mom is an avid cook and my best friend, my 6-year old sister and I play tag at least 5 times a day, my other younger sister sends me funny tik toks and quarantine memes, and my stepdad is always around to help with IT support and talk sports. However, there is an antithesis to the plot; restrictions on some of my favorite habits. I can’t drink a bottle of wine at noon and nobody will take Bacardi shots with me, I’m the only one awake at 2am, I have to fold laundry three times a day instead of once a month, and nobody understands my Michael Scott (The Office) references.
This video by LongBeachGriffy sums it up quiet nicely. (click the hyperlink)
OK, these are pretty superficial complaints, but there are real reasons to feel off my game. The best way to describe the situation is that its like living at a library. The 9-5 grind is very alive and the house is quiet during these times because everyone is still attending work and class and we all have more work than we usually do. I can’t really escape the setting either because, where would I go? Everything is closed, you really can’t be on the roads driving unless its essential, and nobody wants to visit anyway for fear of spreading the virus. Friendships are limited to facetime calls and snapchat messages, and all the projects I’ve worked on for years have been cancelled. In short, its somewhat disorienting for everyone involved. For me, someone who values independence and extroversion at its highest potential, quarantine is the opposite. But that is just the situation right now, so the best thing I can do is take advantage of it. So look out for my next blog post where I’ll go over some ways to improve yourself during isolation – because in reality, this time should better yourself on the most individual basis possible.
Popping the Popkorn Cernel 