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“Oh how I hate school!” That’s what I always heard from others around me, but it never applied to me. Not even once. I lived in Turkey for 11 years, so I appreciated and was, still am, thankful for the education I got every single day. Of course school isn’t easy, but if it was then it would be unfair to those who actually work hard. Online school was just a whole nother level of education. It was an experience I will NEVER forget. You get so mad whenever your wifi doesn’t work! Especially when it is during a quiz or test. Being in school is so much more different and way better. Those friends who you talk to during class breaks, getting your test back ON PAPER and seeing a 100 on it, the comfortable chit chat around you during lunch, talking to your teachers before and after class, partnering up together with your best friend, these experiences are just on another level! I could go on about them forever! They didn’t lie when they said you never notice just how precious something is until you lose it. I think everyone, including myself, could relate to that now.

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During the pandemic, the only human beings which I had any type of in person communication were my family. Of course, we DEFINITELY got annoyed by each other at one point, but we also had fun. Also, I was around my pets a lot. My dogs and I have such a strong bond now. Whenever me, or my mom leave the house they start barking and get mad at us when we come back. Cookie, my maltese terrier, used to growl and get mad last year, but now she is the complete opposite. It's very fascinating! Her and my other dog, Brownie, act like cats which is so funny to me because I have always wanted a cat but my mom has allergies. I no longer get as bored at home as I used to last year since I am used to doing basically nothing now. It’s weird when you get more tired when you do nothing compared to when you are actually active. Back to the topic, I could not imagine myself if my family was not with me. Being alone by yourself in a small space for a whole year must be terrifying. Before, I didn’t appreciate my family as much as I do now. My life would be empty and meaningless without them, especially my mom, but don’t tell her I said that.

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Spending too much time on social media and tiktok mainly took a great effect on my mental health. Disconnecting from reality lowered my self esteem and confidence. Later on I noticed how I always thought “I wish I was her, she is so pretty, smart, etc”. When I acknowledged this issue, I started working on it. I still am right now. My insecurities are things such as my culture, language, looks, hair, clothing, body type, grades, and voice. However, I met many amazing people that now hold a special place in my heart and help me better myself. Once you get the courage to go out there and talk with people you can’t stop! It is just so wonderful to form relationships with others and create memories. It is definitely worth that scary, heart stopping moment when you go up to them to start a conversation. I don’t think I would have the courage to do that last year. This is definitely one of the areas which I improved! I learned a lot about myself this year. I don’t think improving yourself has to stop once you reach a certain “goal”, so I hope I can keep growing and get out of my comfort zone more.

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What was the thing that affected you the most during the pandemic?

Staying away from my family in Turkey as well. I didn’t get to spend much time with the newborn son. Since pandemic was really bad in Turkey, I worried about them a lot.

Did you learn any new recipes; which one was your favorite?

Yes, I had a lot of free time so I learned lots of new recipes! My favorite was the fish soup we made. It had fresh fish, potatoes, tomatoes, homemade broth, onions, spices and we dipped bread in it!

What did the pandemic make you realize?

That life is very short and we should spend every moment of our time with our loved ones doing the things we enjoy doing.

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What was the thing that affected you the most during the pandemic?

Being separated from my son and granddaughters since I was stuck in Turkey and the borders were closed. I was very nervous and stressed being far away and not knowing first hand how they were doing.

How was the pandemic in Turkey first hand?

Unfortunately, there were so many deaths since at first masks were not required. Later on, the vaccine wasn’t distributed either. Some of my dearest friends died because of it.

Did the economy get worse in Turkey during the pandemic; how many times do you have to multiply tl ,(turkish lira), to turn it into dollars?

The economy got very bad and people are suffering to make money. You have to multiply with eight to get to a dollar when about 5-10 years ago it was 2.

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NEWS,“Biden’s Campaign Swing Aims to Convince Swing State Voters”

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NEWS,“Biden’s Campaign Swing Aims to Convince Swing State Voters”

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This was one of the rememberable moments of 2020. One of the most important elections ever took place. Even though Trump took the lead, Biden won. I believe this presidency election will still be remembered years later from now on 🤔.

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Ever since the pandemic, my love for the nature has grown! Here is a painting I did in art class, it’s the copy of a famous painter’s work. I am really proud of it since I made it very similar without tracing it, it helped me gain skills for my original paintings! It portrays the beauty and calmness of the nature and just how gorgeous it is!

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NEWS,  “Asian Americans were already living in fear. The Atlanta-area spa killings feel like a terrifying escalation for them”

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NEWS,  “Asian Americans were already living in fear. The Atlanta-area spa killings feel like a terrifying escalation for them”

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The year 2021 was the year in which racism was really acknowledged. People started to fight for their rights which was great! Lots of people started supporting them, and lots of movements began which I am so happy about 😄‼️.

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NEWS, “Turkey Erdogan: Women rise up over withdrawal from Istanbul Convention”

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NEWS, “Turkey Erdogan: Women rise up over withdrawal from Istanbul Convention”

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Fortunately in America we all have our freedom of speech, press, release, religion and assembly it is not the same elsewhere 😕. Instead of looking at the problems inside the country, we must also realize that there are ones outside also, with people struggling to get their rights back. This article brings inspiration to all of us showing that we don’t have to live in fear with no hope but instead have the choice to speak up or do something about it 😊.

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I think this photo of my favorite manga would describe my condition the best. I got an unhealthy obsession with mangas, but of course books (with no pictures, only text) also. I mostly read shoujo manga, and actions with romance novels. I had never read this much books and even heard of manga before quarantine, so this is definitely one of the positive outcomes of quarantine for me.

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Since quarantine, my screen hours have increased. I mostly go on tiktok, Instagram, etc. Before, I did not go on social media as much, but that has changed since COVID. Since I had a lot of free time during the summer and was stuck at home, it became a bad habit of mine which I hope to get rid of.

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Although I made some new friends, I became even closer with my old ones. We mostly face time and meet on the weekends. I made my friend, Isa, obsessed with kpop, boba, and anime. For some reasons her meals are SOO WEIRD. She eats canned tuna by ITSELF, raw tomatoes, sliced cheese and cashews. I support her though I guess?!?

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When I first returned back to school I didn’t have many friends, but I took my courage and asked a certain girl in this picture if I could sit with her at lunch. From there we went to being friends, and here is 3 of my friends and me at the mall. We had a lot of fun, and won Timmy (a toy) at the claw machines.

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During this year, I have discovered my favorite youtuber, which is Linda Sun! She made me obsessed with pop corners, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and oatmeal.

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I always laugh mentally when I see an among us meme, cause laughing out loud is so emberrasing. OMG Among us, there someone sus. Get it, us sus? Ok yeah just look at the meme’s picture

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Memes... Well let’s just say I have a LOT of memes saved on my Pinterest, but here is one of them. This year was the year I became obsessed with cats and catboys. If I see a cat item, I NEED IT.

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Even though it took a long time, I started learning a lot about what exactly “healthy” is and started to accept my body. I got into cooking heathy recipes, and a healthy routine/schedule. Here is the lunch I bring to school!

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For shows, I started binge watching a lot of kdramas, cartoons and anime. Right now, as of April 29, I’m watching She-ra, and K-on.

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Ever since quarantine, I got into manga a lot. My favorite right now is Blue Spring Ride!