The Quarantine Diaries 

12.10.20 

Getting quarantined from school is almost a double-edged sword. On one hand, you are relieved and almost excited to be away from the stress of classes, homework, and responsibilities; on the other, you secretly know that the minute you get back from school, you will be behind and confused (if not already).   

When I got called down to the office, I instantly knew the reason; everyone does. For me, getting quarantined meant I had to call my job and let them know I would not be able to come in for the next two weeks (which was met with slight resistance). I also had to cancel several plans and commitments, both at school and with friends.   

One of most scary parts for me was the possibility of infecting my loved ones if I did test positive. My dad has a weakened immune system and would most likely die if contagious. I remember first coming home, keeping my mask on with the off chance I did have it.  

On the first day of being quarantined from school, I had a mini heart-attack when I woke up. It was 8:20 am, and I thought I was going to be late for my first period. Luckily, my panic quickly dissipated as I realized not only was “school” three feet away from me, sitting on an empty desk, but my first period did not even have a zoom for me to attend.   

I then went back to sleep for a few before going about my day: eating food in front of my computer, secretly going on my phone during zoom classes, and trying to do what little work my teachers assigned.  

The most challenging task was to stay motivated.  

In my math class, despite my teacher having the zoom open and screen sharing our OneNote, I still did not understand the lesson. Maybe it is because I am a visual learner, and having a teacher helps, if only a little, for my brain to understand the material. Either way, it was a struggle to grasp the lesson.  

I continued to go about my classes in the same process. Only two of my seven classes bothered to have zoom classes, and three out of seven sent out assignments to do. Besides that, I was on my own to do whatever I please.  

On the bright sides of things, mentally, I was doing better; it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I also had tons of free time to do things I otherwise would not have: deep leaning my room for the first time in months, working out, walking my dog, cooking a good lunch between classes. 

 12.11.20 

Today was an average day so far. I woke up not feeling the best. Last night, I was experiencing a lot of drainage, along with some coughing and a runny nose.  

Flash forward to this morning, my throat was sore all day. I probably refilled my large glass of water over four times today. I also began to look up Covid-19 symptoms.  

Again, one of my biggest fears is giving it to my parents. I stayed in my room most of the day, only going out when they were not around.  

As for my schoolwork, nothing too exciting happened. I felt more productive and began to finish up some assignments for the week. It is a struggle trying to understand material online, but I am doing better than yesterday.  

One of the downfalls, again, is procrastination. I took three hours to do an outline that I probably could have finished during a single class period – had I been in school. At least I could eat whenever I wanted though. 

12.12.20

This is one of the first weekends where I had nothing to do. Usually, I am always planning something with either my friends, or working, to keep me busy.

Unfortunately, I also had to miss my ACT testing today because of being quarantined.

Today I still had a sore throat, but it seemed other symptoms also decided to reveal themselves. I was not running a fever; despite the numerous times my mom went into my room to take my temperature.

My nose was kind of runny, and I had a slight headache throughout the day. The throat was the worst though.

In all honesty, it was not the worst day ever. I stayed in bed all day watching American Horror Society and catching up on some good television. I probably should have been doing the numerous school assignments I have but oh well.

12.13.20

I woke up and could already guess today was going to be the worst of it.

On the bright side, my sore throat decided to disappear; however, I had a massive headache the whole day, a stuffy nose, and was burning up. I honestly thought my thermometer was broken when it told me my temperature was 98.

For the second day in a row, I basically just watched television the whole time. Towardas the end of it I had to finish up some assignments that were due tomorrow

12.14.20

School was back in session, and I, unfortunately, was reminded of the many tests I would have in the up-and-coming week.

In the morning, I accidentally slept through my first three periods. Luckily, none of my teachers take attendance.

I felt a lot better overall, and I just had a dry cough throughout the day.

The only class I ended up actually attending was my AP Statistics course. Other than that, nothing exciting really happened. I did facetime with some friends who were also online throughout the day, which made my classes much more enjoyable.

12.15.20

Today I actually woke up on time for once. I had to get something for mother’s birthday the next day, so I woke up super early to go to the store – a luxury I would not have had in school.

Both my dad and I went, and I got to spend some time with him. This was the first time I have been outside my house since I was quarantined.

Being quarantined, I felt that I got to slow down and focus on other things besides work or school for the first time in a while. It was a relief to be off, although my bank account did not have the same mentality.

These past two days, I kind of been ignoring most of my assignments, but I did not worry about it too much. Usually, with tests, I cram the night before, which, I admit, is a bad habit, but it works.

To be completely honest, my teachers have been trying their hardest to make everything easier, despite the situation. I am thankful they have been so understanding throughout everything.

12.16.20

My Covid test results came in: I was negative!

It was honestly such a relief to me. I felt a lot better. Although what I had might not have been Covid, it definitely felt terrible either way.

Because today was my mother’s birthday, we bought a cake for both her and my dad’s friend who came in the morning. It was a super fun day, and we got take out later that night from our favorite Mexican restaurant.

Besides that, school was kind of boring. I actually had to work on many assignments though, and it was one of the first days I actually felt productive during school.

I got a lot done for most of my classes, and I also did a discussion-based assessment for my Florida Virtual class.

To prep for tomorrow’s tests, I ended up facetiming one of my friends to help me with math homework that I did not understand. Thankfully, she was a good teacher and was able to teach me a week’s worth of lessons in less than an hour.

I have to admit, I am a horrible study partner and am guilty of distracting people.

12.17.20

Today I had two tests to finish – both parts of AP Stats and my pre-calc test – and an essay for my AP Lang class.

Overall, the essay was not bad, and I actually thought the pre-calculus test was easy enough, considering the circumstances.

One of my other friends and I decided to study for our AP Statistics test together during lunch; safe to say, we were both freaking out about it. I found it easiest to learn by watching videos of people working on practice problems, as it helps me understand the material easier.

I found yet another reason to be grateful for being quarantined – the ability to study whenever I wanted.

We ended up taking the FRQ portion of the test over zoom, and then the multiple-choice was due later that night.

These were some of my final assignments from my teachers. A lot of more significant projects or worksheets I had to turn in after the break, so that was another day’s problem.

Other than that, I was extremely relieved to be done with some of my main tests. I ended up spending the rest of the day watching movies and face-timing friends.

12.18.20

This is the final day of my quarantine featuring online school.

Overall, it was definitely a much-needed break from reality. I found my mental health becoming a lot better.

I was able to find time for myself and others. For the first time in a while, I was able to enjoy myself and just relax.

Quarantine really reminded me that it is okay to take a step back sometimes to appreciate everything. It taught me that there is more to life than simply grades or working.

However, while I am thankful for the lessons, I am excited to go back in January. Although it was nice for the time being, quarantine was only a temporary break. I definitely could not properly learn online, nor did I feel like I was keeping up with the physical classes.

Nevertheless, I am grateful for this experience and am ecstatic that Christmas break is finally here.

I wish everyone the best over break, and I hope you could take a few pieces of something away from these Quarantine Diaries.