Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down. So just sit right there, I’ll tell you about how Covid-19 became the most talked about subject everywhere.
The world is crazy right now. I am writing from the friendly confines of my house this week because I have no other choice. We have been instructed to stay in place and only leave our houses for essential travel. So far, our spring break has been extended a week, all of our classes have been moved online, and we have received the option to pass fail any of the classes we are taking (except for the core nursing school pre-reqs). And who knows if the virus is anywhere close to being done wreaking havoc on the world. So as of right now, I am doing all of my work at home.
You may be thinking… “wow I bet that is pretty nice.” Well, that is not really the case as I’ve come to find out. While I am in the comfort of my own home, the work seems to be harder and my life seems to be more uncomfortable. Why is this? Ever since I graduated high school, I have never done homework at my house. I have always done it in Davis Library, my dorm room, a study lounge, or some other peaceful spot on campus. Every time I have come home from college, I have not had to do much work at all. This has led to the feeling that whenever I am at home, I should be on vacation. Because vacation is almost synonymous to relax and don’t do any work, I have found it very hard to focus on work during my Zoom University days. I have plenty of work to do (my teachers are making sure of that), but it’s hard to really focus on work in a place that has meant relaxation for many years.
Times like these really make you realize what you have in everyday, normal life. At UNC, I was used to having all of my friends living in the same building to having them all be over an hour away from me. On top of that, I can’t go visit them because we are supposed to be quarantine ourselves in our home and can’t travel to visit with friends. At UNC and in general, I was used to watching some of my favorite sports this time of year. March Madness basketball (RIP 2020 UNC Basketball), NCAA and MLB baseball, the Olympics were going to happen this summer as well. But now they are all canceled. People around the world are also learning who the real heroes are in our everyday life. It’s not the professional athletes or actors and celebrities (even though they can have big impacts on someones life), it is the nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals that help keep our society in the best health possible. It is the truck drivers and retail workers that keep stores stocked so that we can pick up food, medicine, and anything else we may need to survive during quarantine (apparently a lot of people need toilet paper… and a lot of it). It is the teachers who despite the adverse conditions, continue to educate the next generation and help parents realize that their children are a handful when you have to deal with them the entire day, 5 days a week. It is all of the people who still have to go to work to ensure society doesn’t collapse while everybody else stays home to wait it out. To those heroes, we salute you. Thank you for coming to my TED talk, I’ll give y’all some nice memes to brighten your day during these lonely times.
Anthony's Blog 