Ten Things I’ve Learned To Appreciate During Quarantine

Siraj Bajwa, Writer
September 9, 2020

  1. Human interactions! I thought I liked being alone, but I definitely feel a void left by talking and working with my fellow students.
  2. Teachers teaching in person! This is something I never thought I’d be thankful for. Teachers can talk for hours, leaving me in boredom. WOW HAS MY PERSPECTIVE CHANGED! Classes with less than 30 minutes of a teacher instructing on Zoom don’t give you the same learning experience.
  3. Eating at restaurants! Now that we have to social distance, restaurants are mostly only doing pickup. Actually eating at a restaurant was an experience. It got you out of the house, but now we can’t experience that.
  4. A schedule. At Canyon, bells would ring, telling you where exactly to go and when. Distance learning has teachers dumping work on students, leaving them to figure out their own schedule. I was already a procrastinator before quarantine, and now it’s even worse!
  5. Touch! Social distancing means that we can’t really hug, kiss, high fave, or any other type of touch-greeting, which just makes you feel EXTRA distant from everyone.
  6. Family. Being stuck at home means being stuck with your parents and siblings, which would seemingly be a nightmare, but turned out to be the opposite. Quarantine has given me a closer bond with my family that will stay even after this is over.
  7. Feeling safe outside. In general, ventures into the outside world are kind of terrifying. You never know who has this super contagious virus, and so you keep your distance and try not to directly touch things. It makes for a paranoid environment that doesn’t have the thrill of going out.
  8. Relief workers. With many places closed down, people who got food from schools aren’t able to anymore. This left the duty of feeding those people to others, who stepped up to help others in this uneasy time. This includes doctors, nurses, and anyone putting themselves at risk for the sake of others. They are appreciated!
  9. Books! Being at home for so long has given me the push I needed to get back into reading, and I couldn’t be more appreciative of books! They’ve given me an escape and tons of food for thought, and I recommend all of ya’ll go searching online for a book you might be interested in, even if you HATE reading, and just check it out from the library!
  10. School. It’s weird to say this, but there’s a stigma against school among young people. School is just know for being the worst. However, I’ve come to… miss my day which consisted of waking up early every morning, going to zero period, saying hello to everyone, answering questions, and WALKING AROUND!