Puerto Rico – Hello reader. Ever since the pandemic started, many people have been feeling anything but ordinary. One of the main differences I have observed about this virus is how quickly it grasped the attention of the youth. Whether it creates a Tik Tok post saying “corona time” or an Instagram post about a person’s time during quarantine, it has struck every platform. The purpose of this article is to give some perspective on the issue by articulating what younger people have felt during this crisis, like a time capsule. All the following testimonies are honest opinions about different people and their time during the quarantine.

Caridad Álvarez (9th grader in Baldwin School): I don’t think I’ve ever stayed home for so long. I mean it. On one hand, it’s getting on my nerves. I never knew how much I needed to go outside until now. I miss my friends, my teachers, and my life at school. When will I be able to go to the movies? I’m running out of films to watch on Netflix – I guess I’ll just keep on watching my Tarantino DVD collection. It seems like I can never get too tired of Pulp Fiction. 

On the other hand, it’s pretty relaxing. Finally, I can get my to-read list over with! The best feeling in the world is finishing a good book and smiling (or crying, take your pick) at the end. The bad part of this is that I’m running out of books to read, and online books are my greatest enemy. Seems like I’ll be re-reading Stephen King and S.E. Hinton for the rest of my life (and I’m fine with that). However, this whole experience will be a fun story to tell to my grandchildren. If I have any, that is.

Ava Bross (11th grader in Colorado): Before quarantine, I was struggling with the fact that I hadn’t spent a lot of time with my sisters recently. I had tennis practice, homework every night, voice lessons, and all of the other chaos in life going on. I was also spending a lot of time with friends and going to other school events on the weekends. My sister and I were in a fight a few days before everything went crazy and we went into quarantine. What we were fighting about I can’t remember, but what she said in the fight stuck with me. It was “You’re never even around Ava, so how would you know anything about me?” At the time it didn’t even really strike me, because I was so mad at her (haha), but when we went into quarantine I realized how distant I’d been from my sisters.

 In a way, this quarantine is a blessing. It’s a blessing because every family has more time to spend together and I mean REALLY spend together. Which at times can be hard, especially for those who don’t have a good relationship with their families. But from another perspective, that’s an even better situation where families can strengthen their bonds at this time. So yes, this is a scary and hectic time. For those who have friends and family who are affected by the coronavirus health-wise, my heart goes out to them. However,  we should use this time to realize just how fast life moves and how precious time really is. 

Allie Card (11th grader in Colorado): This quarantine has shown me how vital friends and social interaction are to maintaining a healthy mentality. The first week of quarantine I had hope, thinking it was going to end soon. But as it dragged on and I spent more and more time in my room and less time interacting with people, it was harder to stay hopeful and optimistic. While I am very fortunate that I love my family and we have found ways to entertain ourselves, like movie nights or game nights, I still miss my friends so much. I miss running track with my team and I miss being able to walk around public spaces without being told it is dangerous.

Taking online classes has its pros and cons too. I enjoy having something to occupy my time, but being buried in endless amounts of work just makes it easier to lose that hope of all of this coming to an end. I enjoy being able to sleep in, but I do not like the constant work my teachers assign as if I don’t have any other classes but theirs. As I said, I am fortunate to be living where I am, to have a loving, fun family, and to be safe and protected, but I miss my friends and the freedoms I used to have so much.

Treva Filsinger (11th grader in Colorado): During this quarantine, it has been emotionally and almost physically draining. When it first began, I was expecting it to last only a couple of weeks and I was quite optimistic. I was excited to get things done that I did not have time for when we were going to school. I was going to move into my sister’s old room and paint it. I was also excited to take a break from school and relax more and focus on myself for a period of time. After the first two weeks of online school though, I found all of the school work stressful and draining and found myself constantly spending time on homework instead of other things. Despite these things, I have gotten to spend quality time with my family as well as complete things that I would have never even started on if it weren’t for quarantine. I am very lucky to have a home and family during this time and I pray for all of those who do not during this time.

Aimar Rosario (11th grader in Baldwin):  Everyone was forced to adhere to a new reality after lockdowns were installed. The time when quarantine began was a bit blurry since the school was on spring break, but now it seems like it was a month ago. I have tried to pass the time by trying new things like recipes, watch movies and TV shows, and just hanging out with my family. I really did not mind it, at the beginning. Though as my time in quarantine progressed, I admit it was harder. Harder to not see my friends, to hang out, and to be “free”. Though since I was fostering puppies, it made the time go a bit faster. 

Further along in the lockdown, I realized I was supposed to have my ring ceremony and I have no idea if or when it will happen. To my surprise, my family did an impromptu ceremony for me. I had been in quarantine for almost a month and it had been a roller coaster.  Before quarantine began, everyone was living their normal lives. Fashion shows were still happening, salsa conventions kept occurring, and people were still out and about. At times I wondered, if people were to begin social distancing sooner, would the curve be flatter?

Despite the fact, it is a lockdown, and times are tough. It is important to try and look at the bright side of things. Now, I can go on and on about how this quarantine has shaped my reality but it is a story that is not over yet.