Reading the messages from those who received our care packages was really eye-opening to our general response to the pandemic. Sure, we as students are missing out on dorm life, in-person classes, even going out to dinner. As it turns out, more than just students are having the same struggles during the pandemic. The responses we received were so thoughtful and sweet, and it made me realize just how much this pandemic has affected everyone, young and old. We’re all unable to see our friends and family, unable to go to any in person event. For me, my family has had to postpone 2 weddings and I haven’t been able to meet my new baby cousin, and that’s on top of missing the usual birthday celebrations and holiday dinners. The pandemic is a universal experience (at least for those of us living in the US) -- for almost a year, we’ve kept contact with the outside world to the absolute bare minimum. We’re all craving the normalcy that we remember before the virus.
I have difficulty imagining this class outside of the virtual environment: meeting the people that wrote us the kind words seems like a foreign concept now. I wish we had the opportunity to actually visit the retirement homes. The virtual tour was the closest thing we could get, but nothing compares to real life. The same goes for the breakout rooms with residents of Casa -- it was nice to see them virtually, but would have been a different experience had it been in person. I’m hopeful that we can be in person soon with the vaccine being distributed, but it’ll be a while before it goes back to normal we remember (if ever).
I have difficulty imagining this class outside of the virtual environment: meeting the people that wrote us the kind words seems like a foreign concept now. I wish we had the opportunity to actually visit the retirement homes. The virtual tour was the closest thing we could get, but nothing compares to real life. The same goes for the breakout rooms with residents of Casa -- it was nice to see them virtually, but would have been a different experience had it been in person. I’m hopeful that we can be in person soon with the vaccine being distributed, but it’ll be a while before it goes back to normal we remember (if ever).