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ME: How did you feel when the quarantine first started? Did you think people were over or under reacting?

MOM: When covid first started, I think everyone over reacted a little bit. I knew covid could be here for a long time if not taken seriously, but grabbing all the materials in every store was unnecessary.

ME: Do you think vaccines are effective? Why or why not?

MOM: Vaccines are totally effective, and I think many more people should be taking them. Science has proven that they are effective.

ME: How is your life today different from when the pandemic first started?

MOM: Now, I wear a mask to many places and don’t go out in large crowds. Many of my holiday trips were also cancelled, and my work is a lot more remote than before.

ME: When do you think covid will end?

MOM: Covid will likely never end, and will keep mutating into less dangerous versions. I think that people will need boosters every year, but won’t be as deadly.

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I spend a lot of my free time working out at the gym

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I miss gymnastics a lot, but I can’t do it for a while because of injuries

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We were in lockdown for  a while
It was getting hard to even smile

Sometimes my family forces a grin
But the house-peace is wearing thin

The city is filled with empty streets
Hushed motorways flowing free

Shop shelves look empty
And we wished there would be plenty

Just keep going through it
Don’t let the virus beat you to it

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Spending much more time on tiktok as the world shut down, I learned how to make many different drinks and baked goods from the social media trends.

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In the first 2 months of quarantine, my gym was shut down. I worked out a lot at home, stretching, conditioning, etc. I also spent time outside doing what I could, even though that wasn’t much.

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What would you tell yourself a year ago vs now?

A year ago, I would have told myself to focus on gymnastics. I know I can’t prevent the injuries that have kept me from where I want to be, but I wish I focused harder and stopped when my injuries started, so I didn’t take a full year off. I let them get bad enough, and I have lost the skills I need to be successful. I wish I could have focused more on being stronger, and worked harder after I broke my foot. I think I gave up on myself, which was the main cause of my back injury. If I had done more strengthening while injured, my back would be a lot better. Now, I am trying to get stronger to make up for lost time, but I am a year behind where I should be. I also would tell myself to leave certain situations. There was a lot of drama and I tried to stop it, when I should have backed away and minded my own business. Arguing won’t change anyone’s opinion, it will just make them angry. Lastly, I would have told myself to stop wasting time or giving up.

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What were your first reactions to hearing about COVID19 when it first became a pandemic your sixth-grade year? Did you think people were over-reacting? Underreacting?

In January, 2020, my sister made a joke about every a “plague” that comes every hundred years. She had seen a meme of corona and stated that it was the repeat of the 1920’s influenza. I figured that there was always a sickness somewhere, and neither me nor my mom thought anything of this sickness. About a week later, I came home from school where my mom had a stack of towels, snacks, water bottles, etc. She told me that Covid-19 was beginning to show up in many countries, and would likely result in a pandemic. I was worried, but still didn’t think much of it. I even made a joke with my friends at school about the newest plague. My mom told me that it is better to be prepared and even if it didn’t hit where we lived, we would need it for hurricane season in August. The more it showed in the US, the more worried I got, but although we were more cautious, I kept living normally. In February, I found out that my state gymnastics competition was cancelled, and although my coaches were fighting to find another way to let us qualify for regionals. I was devastated, not thinking about Covid, but my competition.

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The January 6 riot was a terrible and shocking thing. The fact that politics could cause this attack is terrifying.

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I saw this news article and felt very confused. Why would a pandemic cause this violence?

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The toilet paper fights were the highlight of my life

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I am guilty of walking my dog every day

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Maybe zoom just wanted to profit from our pain

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No more crowds….