Unpredictability kept me on my toes
I didn’t think freshman year would end like this. When my school shut its doors , I was relieved. I had a biology project due the next Monday that I hadn’t even started. I went to bed that night stress-free.
Over the next few weeks, all I did was sleep in until 9 a.m and finish “All American” and “Outer Banks” on Netflix, instead of dragging myself out of bed at 6 a.m to catch the bus and staying up until 12 a.m doing homework.
I also spent more time with family. We like to play poker. Though my poker face usually disappears as my parents crack hilarious jokes that keep us laughing all evening. Yet as the weeks passed, boredom grew. Every day was the same: Wake up. Study. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. It was like living through a version of “Groundhog Day,” except it wasn’t funny. My online classes lacked variety and there was no social interaction. I missed the random group discussions and the excitement that filled the room when we counted down the minutes until the bell rang. Unpredictability kept me on my toes.
That’s when I began to change. I got my online assignments done in the morning so I could use my time more wisely in the afternoon, working out, reading novels and exploring new interests like psychology and photography. And I began to think of the lives beyond mine, essential workers, people in nursing homes, those suffering in this pandemic. And that sparked something.
My best friend Kaetlyn and I created a project called Patchedin and organized an online concert to raise money for DirectRelief, an organization that equips doctors and nurses worldwide with life-saving medical resources.
We gathered videos from friends all around the country. From a singer in California, covering a Billie Eillish songa Bach concerto by a student in Chicago, Patchedin brought us together for a good cause.
I’ve always known that change starts with one step. But feeling it firsthand is new.
So what does learning look like during the coronavirus pandemic? It’s different now. Learning isn’t just about grades. It’s insight, and what we do with new ideas.