By Rieanna Flores
Staff Reporter
When thinking about what my junior year at Sacred Heart would look like, I never expected to be staying at home for the rest of my spring semester and taking online classes. It’s unfortunate how many missed opportunities there are at the moment for myself and others.
I am missing out on the privilege of learning in a classroom with my classmates and learning from everyone in that environment. I am also missing out on more time spent with friends at school, as well as the events held on campus that could have been spent with those friends.
I’m still adjusting to being home around this time because living in a house off-campus gives you independence that you might not always have at home. That independence comes with natural responsibilities, which allows you to learn about who you are and who you will be. It’s different having that taken away from me now after becoming so used to it.
I started moving some of my things out of my off-campus house a few weeks ago, but I still have more to move. Based on the lockdowns, I’m unsure of when I can finish moving things out.
Restaurants in my town have closed down and have switched to doing deliveries. Although they have switched to deliveries, they are still taking precautionary steps, such as having no contact with customers and leaving food on doorsteps. A few days ago, I ordered food and that’s exactly what they did.
My family and I have been following lockdown rules a lot and we bought masks, gloves and sanitary products. Currently, we’re all wearing masks and gloves around the house because I am sick and so are my parents, so we are being cautious in case it’s more than a cold. It’s stressful because we all feel paranoid.
I don’t personally know of anyone who has been affected by the virus, but it is important that everyone can follow the rules and guidelines given in order to prevent the spread of it.
One bright side to this pandemic is that it has brought my family together; we have been playing card games and watching movies, while staying safe. I feel that this pandemic has brought many people together. My sister, Renee Flores, can agree with this.
“I think we’re all busy people individually and constantly have so much going on in our lives. As unfortunate as the circumstances are, one positive I can shed light on from this pandemic is that it has helped us all slow down, reevaluate what is important to us and do so as a family,” said Renee Flores.
According to CNBC.com, “Videos have been shared on social media of Italian citizens singing and dancing during a nationwide lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.” This goes to show how times like these truly can bring us together.
Though people have come together, it is still hard for those who aren’t able to see the people who are close to them. I’m unable to see my friends that live further away from me and even friends that live closer to me because we’re afraid of getting the virus or even spreading it to our loved ones.
“It makes me sad because I can’t see my best friend, but at least we’re lucky enough to have the technology to be able to communicate as if we were in the same room. It allows me to fill the gap of time until the next time we are able to see each other in person,” said friend Brendan Ferraro.
Though I have had trouble seeing my friends and struggling with paranoia during this pandemic, I have still managed to pass time in other ways. I have video-chatted with friends and chatted more with family members, which has brought me closer to everyone in my life. Having these small moments of joy and laughter with the people in my life has made it easier for me to get through this time of panic.
