It has been a while now since Illinois Givernor J.B. Pritzker directed everyone to stay inside. Schools have officially closed down for the rest of the year, a lot of events have been cancelled already, and more are being cancelled for the summer. I was surprised when we got the announcement that school would be closed the next day.  I certainly had no idea as I was walking out that it would be my last day as a student on campus at Mount Carmel.

At the beginning of the order I wasn’t happy.  I wasn’t going to be able to spend my last couple of weeks as a senior with my friends, and I was being forced to stay inside. I like going out and spending time with friends and family, so at the beginning it was a really hard adjustment. Doing school work at home just felt weird, as did online calls with teachers. It was also weird how they were no sports to enjoy.  It seemed like the whole world was just put on pause.

But after a while I began to adjust to the changes. Although I missed my friends at the beginning, I realized I still could keep in touch and make sure everyone was doing well. Even though everyone is separated, I still feel like I am maintaining my friendships and making memories over this.

At the beginning, I was very bored, but now I do homework and just play video games, watch movies, and hangout with my family at home. I have caught up with all my work and I have gotten used to the isolation and don’t mind it as much as I did initially.

I’ve come to accept the fact that even though everyone is going through a tough time, we have to make the best out of it and look on the bright side of everything. This experience gives us an opportunity to try something new at home, or pick up on something you never were able to finish. With everything being on a stand still, now is the best time to do things you never had time to do before.