Newspaper articles for April 2020 from Killorglin Community College, Killorglin

INSIDE THE LIFE OF A COVID-19 STUDENT

Okay, imagine you’ve been told that you are going to get an indefinite amount of time off school due to a virus sweeping the globe, you’re excited right? A break from work and teachers and loud hallways! Great! Sure, society is breaking down around you and nothing will ever be the same when it passes but the pro of a few more hours asleep outweighs that con.

Then you get told you’re going to have work given to you online by your teachers.

If you somehow don’t know what COVID-19 is, it is a respiratory virus which as of this date has infected 777,000 people and killed many more. It is a dangerous disease. In all seriousness, practice social distancing, wash your hands, don’t touch your eyes or mouth etc. You should be taking this seriously, unless you’re a twenty-something year old who thinks booking a three-euro flight to France in a time like this is smart because you know, you’re invincible and selfish but I digress.

The life of a student during this time is a weird one. I’m going to be writing of my experiences and how I’ve been dealing with it, so this won’t be the same for everyone.

My parents have been a great help in getting me up and doing my work. They wake me up at around half past eight so I can get up and be ready for nine to start my work. The first day was difficult because when I checked my email there was a lot of work and I immediately felt overwhelmed because there were a few projects I did not have resources for, printers and the like.

 But I wrote everything down in a notebook which helped me figure things out, it is extremely difficult to concentrate on large walls of text when typed out for me. So, I’d do a small bit each day and slowly but surely the work dwindled down, and I don’t have much left before the Easter holidays.  

Of course, school isn’t the only thing I do. I have started doing other things I might not have done before because I have a lot of extra time on my hands. I take my dogs for long walks every day; I did this before as well but not for as long. I think it’s important to get out otherwise I think I’d go crazy.

I also play a good amount of video games, I picked Fallout 4 up again and I’ve been working through it. This makes me feel like I’m progressing in something and that I’m doing exciting things even though it’s all in a game. It stops me from getting bored. I watch a lot of YouTube and Netflix as well. I’m trying to teach myself Korean, I consume a lot of Korean media such as music, TV, and movies. So, it would make life a lot easier if I could understand it directly rather than having to wait for subtitles to come out or research lyrics. I also plan on visiting South Korea, not now of course but some day. I’ve also become addicted to soup; Minestrone is my favorite if you were wondering.

Everyone’s quarantine experience has been different. Some people are sleeping worse, some better. People finding it difficult to eat, but more are gaining a lot of weight. We’re all extremely worried, but some choose to shut out those feelings by writing slightly satirical articles for their English/Creative Writing classes. But this is something we need to work through together.

Please follow guidelines set by health professionals, practice social distancing, and stay safe.

Good luck!

Inside the life of a COVID-19 Student.docx