Students as Writers Series: Life During a Pandemic by Lenin Rosario

On January 1, 2020 at 12:00am the bells rang to indicate the beginning of a new year and a new decade. I was full of excitement as this new year was portrayed to be the best year for me! I am a senior at my middle school (Inwood Academy Charter School). I was looking forward to all the perks of being a senior, graduating middle school and going to high school. My mom had planned a wonderful family vacation to celebrate this accomplishment and I was hoping to attend the high school of my choice. All of this changed in March 2020 when coronavirus made its grand entrance into my life and changed it completely.

On March 13, 2020 the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. This same day I learned that my school was going to be closed for the next three weeks and we were going to transition to remote learning. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Pause Act, which states that we are on lockdown and have to stay home unless you are an essential worker. At first, I was excited, it was like I was on vacation. I got to stay home and do my schoolwork online; how hard could that be? Oh, was I wrong. This was just the beginning of a scene in a horror movie.

The three weeks got extended to four and so on, until the Governor announced that we will be continuing remote learning for the rest of the school year. Getting used to this way of learning has been hard. I miss the interaction with my teachers and having fun with my friends. As you can guess the coronavirus cases kept rising and the Pause Act got extended. This caused my senior trip, prom and graduation to get canceled. Could it get any worse? Yes, my family vacation also got canceled. Hooray! There goes my summer, stuck at home with nothing to do. On a positive note, I got accepted to Columbia Secondary School which was my first choice on my high school application. It was about time for something good to happen.
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Coronavirus has affected my life in many ways, but I must learn to live in this “new normal”. I need to wear a mask whenever I go out and practice social distancing. During these difficult times I have learned to love spending time with my brother and sister and playing games with my parents. I give thanks to God that my family and I are healthy and have food to enjoy, as this is not the case for many people out there. I hope this pandemic is over soon so I can enjoy the world as I know it.

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