Beginning
Going into the last few months of my senior year, I was not expecting to stay at home in New York for the remainder of the last semester after spring break. I knew of the virus and was getting constant updates about it from my mom before break, but my friends and I weren’t convinced that COVID-19 would be much more severe than the flu. This changed when we went to Target and saw that masks and hand sanitizers were out of stock. However, it wasn’t until I returned to New York that I was able to see the bigger picture and the impact the virus can have on my life. COVID-19 made it harder than ever to buy products such as eggs, milk, canned food, lysol sprays, and toilet paper in large retail companies like Costco. It was a little scary to see everyone in panic mode, grabbing whatever they can lay their hands on. My mom and I had to make multiple trips within a week to Costco as a result of this pandemic. As spring break was coming to an end, I made the decision to cancel my bus ticket to State College upon receiving upsetting news from the university regarding the transition to remote learning for the rest of the semester. Although I was persistent to go back on campus at the time, I’m glad I chose to stay because as of today, March 21, 2020 there are 10,356 cases in New York and it is one of the three states with the largest outbreaks (Acevedo & Winter, 2020). To have not gone back to Penn State during this time was necessary in order to protect myself, and my family and friends.
Toilet paper and paper towels are out of stock in Costco (NY). Credit: Crystal Zhang
Middle
As the days went by, my family and I closely monitored the news, hoping to wake up one morning and find that everything has returned to normal. Instead, the news populated with more deaths and upcoming implementations to be made in New York. The Trump administration advised there to be no more than ten people in a gathering, that citizens should avoid unnecessary travel, and that employees should work from home. As a result, my dad sent his workers back to their families and is now staying at home with us indefinitely. In addition, my sisters also received emails from their schools about working remotely until further notice. Our days were uneventful because malls, restaurants, and nonessential businesses have been closed. With all of this happening, I was afraid my decision to stay home would affect my studies. Being at home with family was comfortable, but I was uncertain if that would have been a distraction. However, it went better than I expected. Studying with my sisters made it feel like I never left campus and having family game nights helped with social distancing. Using Zoom, an online video chat platform, for class lectures also helped with social distancing and allowed for flexibility. Even though this was different from a traditional classroom setting, my professors and peers have made this an enjoyable experience. Although I wished that I could have spent more time with my friends on campus during the remaining months of being an undergraduate, COVID-19 has shown me that neither distance nor time zones can take away friendship. In fact, facetiming my friends has brought us even closer and provided the support we all needed during this pandemic.
Ending
Throughout my time at Penn State, I have learned many lessons. The most important, as I have been told many times, is to cherish every moment of being an undergraduate. It’s surreal knowing that my senior year is almost over and even more bizarre that it will be ending at home in the midst of all this chaos. However, this experience has taught me to expect the unexpected, to be adaptable, and to maintain a positive attitude despite the bad that is happening in the world. For all those intending to graduate this year, we may be missing out on some of the most important moments of our college experience such as walking in the commencement ceremony in May or spending the last of our undergraduate days with our friends, but there is no use to spend our limited time dwelling on things that are just beyond our control. Instead, I encourage all of us to think positively no matter what we are struggling with in the present. Let’s change how we perceive the bad situations and learn to cherish every moment.
Citation:
Acevedo, N., & Winter, T. (2020, March 21). Coronavirus cases in New York State now top 10,000. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/coronavirus-cases-new-york-state-now-top-10-000-n1165626