Page 68 - COVID Consortium Journal - An Edited Collection of Student Art and Writing

Corona’s Unity

Nicole Goenawan, East Side Community High School

A disease is affecting everyone and all people can think is about how
they miss their friends and risking their/and other people’s lives by going
outside. I think it’s clear to me that this generation would rather not social
distance because they think it’s pointless. I think that’s the most absurd thing
ever. Going outside every day and still not social distancing makes me think
about how sad our world is for society to not listen to the government. We’d
rather risk our lives than keep everyone safe. We’d rather have fun for a few
hours than making sure that we aren’t in danger due to COVID-19.

If you told me two months ago that a deadly disease was coming around
and we had to self-isolate, I would have called you crazy. My friends and I would
have never thought that we would live and experience first-hand a pandemic.
I remember that it was just a silly post on social media from the other side of
the world. I lived carelessly; going outside whenever I wanted, staying late
outside, having no care in the world because I was having fun with my friends.
I remember my classmates and I discussing coronavirus, saying that there was
no way for us to be affected by it. Boy, were we wrong.
The last week of school, I heard that all absences were excused. I thought,
yes! I don’t have to go to school, what a win! As a teenager, I took advantage
of this news. I know, irresponsible of me, but I at least justified my absences
by staying home and not going outside. I was basically starting self-isolation
earlier.

The last day I went to school was Thursday, March 12th. This was the
last time I saw all my classmates and teachers physically, receiving physical
papers as work -not digital, the last time I smelled the dirty bathrooms, the
squeak of the chairs, the banging of the desks being moved, the deafening yet
calming voices of a full classroom. I remember talking to my English teacher
Jen, saying I will be absent tomorrow, Friday. She told me to take all my im-
portant notes and things from school just in case the school closed. I didn’t
listen to her. I really thought that on Monday, I would groggily get ready in the
morning, slouch up the school stairs, and slump on the desks. Instead, I woke
up in the afternoon and celebrated not having school, ignorant of how critical
this mental war is.

My first few weeks of isolation, I didn’t really mind it. I enjoyed staying

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