Quarantineaversary

Quarantineaversary

David Franco II

As the one year milestone of our school’s shutdown rolls around, all we can do is look back to the times before social distancing took over all of our lives.  We were all unaware of what was to come, following the talks of a shutdown over what seemed to be no more than a novel iteration of the common cold. Many of us joked about being stuck inside over a virus that was mostly in China and on a cruise ship.  But here, a year later, seeing images and videos of being in person hurt a little more thinking of what we might have done had it not been for the virus which came from seemingly nowhere to change our lives.

The further we get, the muddier the memories get.  The talks of cancelling school for two weeks including our spring break sounded like the vacation everyone needed. The pessimists who feared what was to come, which many perceived all too light heartedly, purchased all the toilet paper. Then as the glorious day arrived, March 13, 2020, many junior class students had just returned from the full day field trip to the Museum of Tolerance: “it was an ethereal experience. The rain and everything only made it more perfect.” senior Mattew Mendez recounts, “and those last two days seem like a fever dream still.” The first week off, for many, was nothing more than an extended Spring break……     

As of March 12th, 2021 over 2.63 million individuals have succumbed to the virus. The past year has not been uneventful despite being inside for the majority of it.  Most of us honed our skills as chefs and bakers as well as perfecting the craft of running to the restroom, getting a glass of water, and a snack all before the twenty second timer before the next episode begins. There has also been domestic revolution across the nation as individuals took to the streets and attempted to take matters into their own hands for various reasons, from the debates of human rights to the insurgence of the capitol.

The beginning of quarantine was tame, spare the speculation of extreme food shortages and fears of an apocalypse, which thankfully never came. The food shortages were mostly conjurations of our worries and except for the paper products and canned goods, both experienced overbuying greatly, most people got by.

Anyone’s quarantine experience would be incomplete if not for the binging of various movies as well as shows.  Most of you have already forgotten Tiger King especially after binging Criminal Minds and Wanda Vision.  The backbone of staying busy despite getting little to nothing done was simply consuming excessive media in any form, from nervously watching the news, to reading and rereading our favorite books, or rewatching movies and shows.

The time past, being locked in left many of us to do nothing more than contemplate the evils often overlooked in the comfort of our average day to day lives. There have been lots and lots of gofundme’s which is a crowdsourcing website that allows you to raise money for companies and such.  Gofundme’s became notorious for funding the medical expenses of many Americans due to the lack of universal healthcare which was a popular debate and a prospect that died with Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.

  This past year has been nothing short of a series of misfortunate events; a year long nightmare spurred by an overactive imagination and soon enough we may all wake up only for it to be March 14, 2020 and we can do this all over again.