March 13, 2020 was the last day of in person learning. It all still feels like a blur. I remember watching CNN the night before when the first COVID patient was detected in Montgomery County. This was definitely something we’ve never experienced before whether you are a teacher, a student, or a parent. The whole world had to adapt to something new. 

The moment things became real for me was when my mom started stocking the house with groceries like paper towels, trashbags, lightbulbs, and other essentials. Walking in stores meant finding the shelves empty and everything sort of chaotic. “Pandemic.”  I started hearing that word so often that I began using it.

In June, I spent my 16th birthday quarantined. In most years, I, like most people, would expect a party or dinner with friends but that was the least of my worries. I would have to say that this pandemic challenged my mental health in every way possible. Some days I found myself in bed, ignoring calls, texts, emails, and pretty much everything. It was usually just me and music. Once I had my airpods in I tuned out the rest of the world and I’m sure the majority of my peers can relate. 

Spending all those hours in my room gave me plenty of time to think, specifically about my purpose and my meaning. What do I have to contribute while there’s a pandemic going on? 

Fast forward to July and I passed my permit test after taking it for the second time. Yes, I said second. Summer wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I hung out with family and friends, socially distanced of course. Being out of school for months felt extremely weird and the hardest part was knowing we weren’t returning for the new school year. 

In August, I started the most rigorous year of my high school career, junior year. I’ve always been excited to start a new school year, but this time things were different. There was no back to school shopping, no hair or nail appointments; it was weird. Virtual schooling isn’t difficult. I would have to say the most tiring thing for me has been having to learn how to manage my time. I had to adjust my schedule based on when to sit down and study and when to have fun. As the first semester of my junior year is coming to an end, I couldn’t be any prouder of myself. Changing my entire learning style from in person to online and adapting to only seeing my teachers every other day isn’t something you just wake up and should know how to do. So, this would have to be one of the many things I give myself credit for – adjusting to a brand-new situation without being given a choice. 

Opening my grades every day would have to be one of the few things that keep me going because I can physically see my hard work is paying off. Back in March when virtual classes first started I would’ve gone on a rant of how much I hated it and how bad it was. Now, I would have to say it isn’t the easiest thing but don’t give up, trust in the process, and you’ll start noticing the results. 

These 10 months have been emotionally draining, as they have left me wondering what’s happening next and hearing that the COVID cases are getting worse triggers me. Not being able to freely walk into stores without a mask is annoying, standing six feet apart in lines is tedious, and a virus taking someone’s life is frightening. The scariest part of all this is knowing that anyone could have the virus, nobody is excluded. If there’s one thing I could tell you all it would have to be to call your friends and family. A two minute phone call won’t hurt, sending a “how are you?” text doesn’t take more than ten seconds. As much as we see people being out more, don’t forget there’s still a pandemic going on and be safe and have fun – six feet apart, of course.