On March 13th, many students were happy and excited to get out of school. Most of us were acting like it was a vacation, and we had plans to hang out with friends and participate in sleepovers. But as the days went by, we realized that it was much more serious than we thought, and we stopped having the vacation mentality. Now that we’re all stuck in quarantine and it’s been almost 3 months, many of us are having different experiences, and it has impacted our community, families, and friends in a tremendous way.

In our communities, it has made us become more aware of our neighbors and their own struggles and feelings. We see each other more often, whether it be when throwing out the trash, picking up our mail, or just passing each other on the way to our cars. Many people are doing sweet things like leaving out water, thank you notes, and food for amazon, fed-ex, and other delivery workers. Many are starting community gardens or putting signs of motivation and gratitude for medical workers in their yards. People are coming together even in a time of such uncertainty. Even though it’s brought out the positive side in people, there are still negative aspects about it like the fact that many people may be hostile due to stress, and being selfish when buying food or basic necessities. 

Families get to spend more quality time together in quarantine, and parents can get closer to their kids by talking to them about their emotions during this pandemic. However, that doesn’t mean it’s all perfect. Many families may be growing apart because of clashing views on the virus. They could also possibly be tired of each other due to the fact that they have to see each other 24/7 and don’t have much personal time. 

For friendships, people may get closer or drift apart, depending on how they feel about communication. Many friend groups may be talking constantly in group chats or use video calling, and to some people it may feel like those people who reach out to you are “real” friends. For others, if you don’t text or call your friends, it may seem to them that you’re showing your “true colors” and don’t actually care about them. It just depends on them. However if there’s something this quarantine has taught us is that communication is key and sometimes having someone to talk to can lift someone’s spirit up. 

Regardless of what is happening in your personal life due to this drastic change in how we all live, one thing is certain: the whole world is dealing with this issue, so you aren’t that alone.