Maya Serna

When COVID-19 first hit the U.S. in March, I was surprised.  All of a sudden, places were shutting down, and some people were quarantining.  In the beginning, I honestly didn’t think it was a big deal.  I figured it was just like the flu or a bad cold.  We got an extra week of spring break at Tri-C, and I enjoyed the time off.  Then, when classes were moved online and my Billie Eilish concert was canceled, I knew it was a big deal.  More and more people started dying from the virus, and it was a bit of a stressful end to the school year, especially since my dad’s company had to downsize, and he got fired.  I managed to do well in my classes, but it was a very sudden adjustment to all virtual learning. 

Now months later, things don’t seem much better.  I know every day we get closer and closer to a vaccine coming out, but sometimes it feels like it never will.  A lot of the people I know are seeing a couple of friends and going out with masks on.  Other people aren’t being that careful at all, going out to stores and meeting up with bigger groups of people in public.  My family is fortunate enough that we don’t have to go out much, we have been taking walks outside but staying in for the most part.  Sometimes I’ll have a friend over in my backyard and social-distance-hang-out with them but it’s not the same.  I know in the long run I’ll probably be grateful to my parents for being so strict during this time, but it’s hard not to be able to see my friends.  Sometimes I feel like wanting to visit people, but usually, my parents are pretty laid back and it’s kind of hard to want to break the rules when your parents are so reasonable.   

To pass the time over the summer and fall I’ve been getting back into the habit of reading.  I mostly read to myself, but my younger brother likes it when I read to him and we’ve been working through the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan (I have to cultivate his good taste in literature from a young age).  Some of my favorite picks from the over summer are The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, and a Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin (how long can he make us wait for the 6th book?).  I also took an anthropology class over the summer, which was fun. Now that the fall semester has started, I’m pretty busy with classes and work.   

I am taking six classes at Tri-C and working for The Voice newspaper as Bureau Chief at East Campus.  Next semester, I will be doing the same so that I can earn my associate’s degree before I transfer to a four-year college next year.  It has been a bit of a strange time adjusting to online courses and video call classes that seem to drag on forever, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.  In a way, I prefer in-person learning because it keeps me on track with my schoolwork, time management is harder without physically going to class.  Online learning does save me time though since I don’t have to drive to campus every day.  I miss seeing people and interacting with my classmates, but I save time, so both ways of learning have their benefits and drawbacks.  I hope that this semester goes well for everyone, and with luck, we’ll be able to meet in person by the spring semester.