WiNK
My Family's COVID Experience
As we unofficially enter a new phase of this draining pandemic, I recently reflected on how my family and I settled down this year. As simple as it sounds, the safest and most effective path to take during these times is to quarantine! Though staying home and not going outside can be boring, it can also be very enjoyable. My household during quarantine has looked very interesting. Ever since the summer, my family has gained interest in working on themed puzzles. Most of the time, there is a puzzle located in our dining room and someone can always take a second to make progress. The puzzles continue to help kill time, help amuse us to keep working on different ones, and most importantly allow us to bond. Our most recent puzzle was candy themed for the late Halloween holiday!
Other activities my family and I indulge ourselves in are watching movies, eating meals together, playing cards, and listening to music. You most likely could see us doing one of these together at any point, but the vast amount of time the pandemic has given allows us to do them more often. It also makes these times even more meaningful and sweeter. For example, my family has developed a schedule for making dinner throughout the week. My younger sister, Rebekah Tate '25, cooks pasta meals on Sundays. On Mondays, my mother cooks a mexican theme meal or her world famous chili. Ever since we moved to Connecticut, my father has continued our tradition of pizza and salad on Tuesdays. My older sister, Saudia, usually cooks vegan burgers and fries or any other sort of vegan meal on Wednesdays and I cook breakfast for dinner on Thursdays. Either on Friday or Saturday, we decide to get take out food. Even on the weekends when it's time to decide on a place to eat, we get the food and bring it back to our household to avoid any risk. We have made sure to limit our transporting while being out and about.
Occasionally when my family is in dire need to go outside, we go on drives. We have not gone on any public transportation such as planes or trains. Mini road trips around the New England area are essential to helping find our balance. Earlier this year in the summer, we took a road trip to Rhode Island. Once we arrived, we made our own bubble and settled in for a few days. Making our own bubbles is another important factor in order to stay safe; keeping the circle of people we spend time with as small as possible. I, myself, tend to go out the most in our family and when I do so, my father lays the ground rules. Similar to CDC's guidelines, my father always reminds me to wash my hands, use sanitizer, keep my hands out of my face, keep my mask up, keep distance at 10 feet, and have fun! Earlier in the year when there were less restrictions during the pandemic, I started to go out and my parents showed me a very humorous video that exemplified the action of people going out at the time. Ever since then, we've made light of the video representing going out and participating in activities that are risky. In times like this it's important to maintain joy. This is our way of balancing the seriousness of the risk we all face while still trying to enjoy each day. If you care to watch the video I referenced above, here it is: 7-Year-Old Takes Car On Joyride.
As COVID-19 is still very serious, remember to keep your guard up and watch your risk level. This pandemic without a doubt is a challenge but we're all in this together.