BLOG: Viewing life differently amid COVID
EDITORS NOTE: 5/2/20 – Post has been updated to include a reflection blog by the author.
April 6, 2020
My experience with the coronavirus going around is boring and dull. Everything that’s going on is kind of sad. However, I have been doing nothing but sitting in the house all my life, so I am prepared for this.
The only thing I do miss is going to the mall. Being able to get my nails and toes done, and sitting down to eat at a restaurant with my friends. So, I guess I am not used to this.
However, this does give me time to reflect on life and what I’m doing, which is getting caught up on my homework. Being off work is nice too. I am blessed to be working at a job that pays me while we are going through these times.
One of the worst parts about this situation is that commencement ceremonies are being postponed. I waited all these years to graduate and walk across the stage, and it gets delayed because of the outbreak.
I know that it is going to be rescheduled for a later date, but it still won’t feel the same as it would if I were to have walked across the stage in May. Thankfully it does not affect me getting my degree, but it doesn’t feel the same.
One outbreak story that has happened to me personally actually happened within the company I work for, Visionworks, a place that sells glasses. I work in the League City store. However, in the Visionworks Friendswood store, they had a patient who encountered someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
That incident is one of the reasons why we had to close our stores down for public safety. My company has decided to close its doors until April 3. Even though I am fortunate to continue being paid, closing the store does affect how I get paid because we are getting paid an average versus the hours that we work.
When it comes to schooling, it’s also hard because it can be distracting when you’re at home versus in a classroom setting. This virus has not just affected my personal life, but everyone around the world. Hopefully, in the end, this will all be over by mid-April so our lives will go back to normal.
May 2, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has been going on for months at this point. It has changed most people’s mindset of what the remainder of 2020 is going to entail.
Some people had goals they wanted to accomplish, and now that’s kind of over. I had some goals I wanted to get checked off my list for this year, one is to walk for graduation. Like most seniors who were supposed to graduate this spring may not even get to walk at the commencement ceremony because of COVID-19.
Schooling during this time of COVID has been kind of difficult. I personally think more work was added to some classes to make up for the fact we cannot be in class to do certain activities.
Doing classes online is not easy for everyone, as some people may need more help than others with certain assignments, for instance, my film class. I am expected to write a treatment and a script and make it come to life.
However, what makes it difficult is that fact I am supposed to make a short film on my own with not a lot of equipment to work with. Some students may run into specific struggles such as the one I am going through
However, the new interim grading policy that is set in place for this semester is an excellent idea for students who seem to struggle with the new normal of UHCL.
As far as work is going, my company has decided to open but only a handful of locations. My location is one that did not get reopened, so I have just been focusing on school.
Even though closure is not a good thing for me, I think the best thing to come out of it is me being able to focus on school. However, not being about to be in a classroom setting can be distracting.
The best thing to come out of this is I do not have to drive to campus almost every day, which does save me time and gas. It is good to know I can do things on my own time.
What makes this so bad, since I do not have to go physically to campus or work, is I have procrastinated more than ever before. Not going to school has thrown off how I get my work done.
The professors have been great with deadlines, but since I have all day to complete an assignment, I am more than likely to finish the day it is due or maybe a day before.
I miss the structure of my life because I was more motivated. Now that I am stuck in the house most of the time, I have lost all motivation.
