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To Vishakha Joshi, before quarantine started,

Right now, you think the coronavirus is a joke. You think all the people on the news reporting about China and Italy are crazy to think it’ll get all the way to the US. But it isn’t. Before you realize it, school will shut down. Everything will, and being in the house, stuck with nobody but your sister, will become your new normal. A word of advice though, even though you never really will read this: take advantage of all your friends before school closes. Soon, you’ll see them for the last time for months, and it’s really going to suck without them. Also, don’t slack off too much during online school. It’s gonna be hard to keep things straight with all the changes, but just try to stay on top of things so you don’t end up falling behind. And… just try to enjoy the extra sleep, unlimited relaxation, and not needing to wake up early. It’s boring and weird at first, but you’ll get used to it in a couple weeks. Don’t pull too many all-nighters or you’ll get migraines, and just… make the best that you can of the time you have off. Good stuff will come out of it. Don’t worry :)

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The lockdown is kind of scary. My parents are both surgeons, and they’ve gone back to working in the hospital almost every day. They don’t usually deal directly with the COVID patients, but they’ve had to do surgery on a few of them in the last few weeks. Though they take more than the necessary safety precautions, it’s still kind of scary to think about. Aside from the impending doom of the coronavirus, having so much free time is pretty scary too. For one thing, I’ve realized how much time school occupies and how much I depend on that time for socializing with people. I’ve definitely noticed a change in my interactions with people. Besides a few very close friends, I’ve stopped talking to a lot of people. I’ve realized that my relationships with a lot of friends rely very heavily on meeting and talking to them in person. Additionally, not having all of my extracurriculars, like tennis and violin, is a little sad. All of those activities were once a way for me to get my mind off of stressful things like school or just to kind of forget about anything that is bothering me, but without them, I’ve been a lot more anxious about things. I just really really hope things are safe soon so we can get back to our normal lives.

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My neighborhood is… abandoned. Lonely. Empty… It’s weird walking around and not seeing lots of people and cars. Lately, I’ve been going outside a lot, whether I’m taking Mocha out on a walk or going on a bike ride. Every time, I’m amazed to notice just how quiet the neighborhood can be. Before the lockdown, you would constantly hear car engines as they drove past, little kids playing in their yards, neighbors talking to each other and enjoying themselves, and so much more. Now, almost all of that is gone. One thing I did see a few days ago, though, was some people sitting on lounge chairs outside their house and sharing a drink with their neighbors across the street. I thought it was a nice way to have someone to talk to through these… lonely times.

In other news, our old next door neighbors moved out a few weeks ago, which was kind of sad because we were pretty close with them, but the new owners just moved in recently. We’ve talked to them a few times through the fence in the backyard, and they’re really nice. They have a little girl, Soleil, who is one year old, and a dog named Linus (like the Charlie Brown character). Mocha has taken a special liking to Soleil, and though she’s a little bit scared of Linus, I’m sure they’ll become really great friends when she gets older

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I asked my little sister Shreya about her quarantine...

Q. What’s your favorite thing about quarantine?
A. TV. Reading books. Taking care of Mocha (our puppy).

Q. What do you dislike?
A. School assignments, Mocha trying to bite me, and there’s no Chinese food.

Q. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy?
A. Painting, laying down and doing nothing, and playing with imaginary friends (lol ok then)

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A girl trapped at home
When really, she longed to roam
But a virus lurking outside
Making hundreds of thousands go bye-bye
Said “Nope, you’ll just stay here alone”

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I made this to put up on my wall because I miss all my friends :(

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I’ve continued dance through online lessons, and though it’s nothing like dancing in the studio, it helps get my mind off things

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I tried painting and so far I’ve made two... (the one on the left is still in progress)

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This article from the Washington
Post explains Vice President Pence’s plan to disband the coronavirus task force within the next month. Although I understand the intention to get the economy started again, I think we should be waiting a little longer.

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I spoke to my cousin Aanandi, who lives in Virginia, about her quarantine experience.

Q. How are things going in Virginia during the quarantine?
A. In Richmond there was a protest to reopen businesses and everything, in Roanoke restaurants are closed but drive thrus are open. My parents’ hospital won’t let them tele-work even even though my mom is a psychiatrist. Schools closed for the last 11 weeks of the year and summer classes are online as well as summer camps.

Q. What have you been doing to keep yourself entertained?
A.

Write letters

Do school work

Bake

Run on the treadmill

Do crafts (every Monday our neighbors and us do crafts six feet away- we did quilting, DIY masks, and made pet rocks)

Go to the park

Play tennis

YouTube

Instagram

FaceTime a “bijillion” people

Q. What are some things that you like about the pandemic?
A. Nothing at all!!

Q. What do you really dislike about it?
A. Everything!!! I hate not being at school because I get bored and waste a bunch of time I definitely slacked in my school a lot being trapped at home.

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My cousin, Rahul, talked about his experience in the UK during quarantine.

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This is a really interesting article estimating how long it will take vaccine will take to be developed. According to it, a reliable vaccine might not be available till 2036

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These are the books I’ve read during quarantine

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I rewatched all of Victorious during the break

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My birthday is in June :(

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i have a fun partnership with something tomorrow 😜😎😜😞 no my account is not hacked

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65.9k Likes, 860 Comments - Tim (@3.1415926535897932384626433832) on Instagram: "i have a fun partnership with something tomorrow 😜😎😜😞 no my account is not hacked"

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When this is the only way to take pictures together...

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This article, published 4/27, explains the plans that are being made to reopen public areas in many parts of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County. It is honestly worrying me because reopening places will only cause a surge in cases

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This is probably my favorite Tik Tok that basically says we’re all going to be completely stupid whenever school finally reopens

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One thing that I’m definitely doing a lot is listening to music. I love  relaxing and hearing all my favorite songs. These are currently my two favorite artists

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I got a puppy last week... her name is Mocha :)