My COVID-19 Experience Journal
By Sophie Harris, 14
Today is Tuesday, March 17, 2020, and it was our third day of online school. School has been canceled since last Thursday b/c of corona. It’s not as bad as I thought but I miss being able to go outside and see my friends. I appreciate it more now. It’s scary because corona is shutting down a lot of things and also sad because a lot of people are getting sick. I’m disappointed because our trip to Mexico for Pesach was canceled and we still don’t know when school will open back up again. I actually like the online classes and they give me something to do while sitting at home. I also like doing school at home b/c I can relax more from the comfort of my own home. Today while I had some free time before my next class, I did yoga and a workout with my mom and I really enjoyed it. After math, which was my last class of the day, Sascha and I walked to Central Park. Sascha wore a mask (my dad couldn’t find the rest we had at home) and I covered my nose and mouth with a scarf (that’s what my dad, who’s a doctor, told me to do lol) and wore latex gloves. We went into the playground area next to the Met b/c there weren’t too many people there and it’s really pretty. It was golden hour and there was this tree with white blossoms on it that was beautiful. I was really happy to get out of the house. Sascha and I sat on a bench away from people and we read. Then we went on the swings and talked. I also made some tik tok videos to some of the dances that I know. The rest of the night, after I showered and ate dinner, I relaxed and facetimed with my camp friend, Sophia K. Now I’m in my bed writing this (it’s 9:36 pm) and my parents are coming in to put me to bed in 5 minutes so now I’m going to read for the rest of my time. I’m reading a book called The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict, which has to do with one of my favorite series, The Mysterious Benedict Society. Also, fun fact–I’m wearing my blue-light glasses that I ordered last week that block the blue light from straining your eyes when you look at screens since we do school on a computer :) Good night😴
Today is Wednesday, March 18, 2020 (our fourth day of online school) and I had a pretty good day today. Most of my classes were on zoom, which I enjoy. I did a workout with my sister, too. I also worked on a drawing of a bridge I started. I want to try to plan to do more things at home after school so I don’t get too bored. I’m feeling scared about everything going on right now, but I think I’m doing a good job of staying positive. I started a trial of Disney Plus and so far really like it. I have to go to bed right now so that’s it for tonight :)
It’s now almost 11:00pm on Sunday, March 22. I had a pretty good weekend considering the circumstances with corona and everything. Yesterday Sascha and I made apple crisp and it was delicious. We also built a fort in my room because we had nothing better to do. It was actually really cool. It was fun to hang out in there. We brought in snacks and lots of things to do. We even tried sleeping in it but it got really cold for some reason and super uncomfortable so we left at like 4:30am. Today we made peanut butter cookies, chilled, and for dinner, Sascha and I made fried rice. We were proud of ourselves for making it and it turned out really well. We also went on a walk with our dad (we wore gloves and masks). The streets were empty. Barely a driving car in sight. We went into the playground next to the Met, which was empty. The white blossom trees were still there and even more beautiful. Even though it was cold outside, it was a very enjoyable walk. I took some pictures of things I saw in the street and in the park that were pretty. Sascha and I went on the swings while my dad watched. Then we were going to go into the park, but it seemed a little bit too crowded, so we didn’t. It felt great to get some fresh air. I have to go to sleep now, so goodnight.
Today is Monday, March 23, 2020. I just found out our Israel trip that was supposed to be in May was canceled. I’m really upset, and so is everyone else. We all saw it coming, I feel, but now that it’s official, I’m really sad. I was looking forward to it and I heard that this was supposed to be an incredible and unique way to experience Israel, even though I’ve been there more than ten times with my family. It’s all hitting me now. I really, really hope, please Hash-m, that camp doesn’t get canceled. I just want to go back to normal life where nobody is getting sick. I’m doing fine with the whole staying at home thing, and am finding things to do. I hope that after this we all appreciate the little things in life more, because I know I will, bh. This morning I had a smoothie that I made and my mom made me eggs. I had math first, but I just face timed my friend Hallie and we did a worksheet together since it said our teacher, Ms. Brown, is not well. I hope she is okay and that she doesn’t have corona. Our test that was supposed to be on Wednesday is also postponed. I guess I’m happy about that but I hope Ms. Brown is okay. I just had Hebrew but for most of the class our teacher got logged off because of WiFi issues, so we didn’t really do anything. Next, I have English in three minutes. Gotta go. Maybe later I’ll add some pictures I took in the park to this document so I can have them. Bye!
Today is Tuesday, March 24, 2020. I had another day of online school, I can’t even keep track anymore! I had a pretty good day. My math teacher, Ms. Brown is not well, I heard, so I hope she is okay. During music when Sascha and I finished listening to the song, we made blueberry muffins. They were good, but the recipe used olive oil and I could taste it when I ate them, which was not the best, but I still liked them. For breakfast my mom made me oatmeal and for lunch we had lasagna that she made. Last night we had an amazing dinner. It was steak, baked potato and asparagus. I loved it. We have been having great meals during our “quarantine” since my mom has made a lot of time since we can’t go anywhere. After school (which ended at 3:00 today which is early for us) Sascha, my dad and I went to Central Park and took a walk. Sascha and I also did some running around the reservoir, but not that long a distance because we didn’t want to go too far. It was great to be outside. It was such a nice day today, not a cloud in sight. It was a bit hard for me to run, though, because my leg hurt, I think I pulled it or something. I still really enjoyed being able to go outside, even though we had to wear masks and gloves lol. For dinner tonight we had Sole Meunière (fish cooked in a French way) with rice and asparagus. That was also really good. I have to go to bed because it’s getting late. One more thing, people have been posting on Instagram “until tomorrow” and I’m rlly confused as to what it means haha. Anyway, goodnight.
I forgot to write something for Wednesday, but in the evening we facetimed our cousin, Rachel, who’s 25 and lives in Boston, for an hour. It was fun to speak to her since we can’t see each other in person!
Today is Thursday, March 26, 2020. It’s 6:34pm. Today was a pretty normal day, and we have started to get more into a routine. My dad is helping NYU develop treatments for coronavirus, and I’m really proud of him that he will hopefully be helping many people, as well as all of the other people helping during this time of crisis, like the medical professionals at hospitals/doctors, people who work at supermarkets, etc. I am also really grateful for the people who deliver fresh direct, which is how we get our groceries. Yesterday Sascha and I made these insane chocolate chip cookies (I put a picture!). They’re huge and delicious. Sascha and I made ourselves grilled cheese for lunch. Today we ended school at 3:00, which I love. Sascha, my mom and I cleaned out the pantry when school ended. After that, Sascha and I worked out for about half an hour. It was good to do it because it makes me feel good, gives me energy, and I like to move my body since we are cramped at home most of the day. I also hope it will help me sleep better. Sascha and I also want to wake up a little earlier tomorrow and work out. I usually like to work out in the gym in my building (which is closed due to corona), or a workout class, which I also can’t do because of corona, but I think we’re adjusting to working out at home. I also miss playing hockey. I was really looking forward to our season. Anyway, after we worked out and showered, Sascha and I did face masks. Then I went on my phone for a bit, made a quizlet for a word quiz I have in Gemara tomorrow, and then I started writing this. I think I will next work on memorizing my speech for the Twelfth Night. I’m almost done, I only have a few more lines left to memorize! I’m gonna go work on that now, so bye!
Today is Friday, March 27, 2020, 10:45am during english class. Today we are supposed to journal during our class time. I’m sitting at my desk with the shades fully up, and I’m about to open a window. I just opened the windows in my room. I can hear the cars driving in the street, even though there aren’t many of them. I see a few pedestrians walking down 86th street, but MUCH less than usual. It’s nice to hear the sounds of the world. Spring is starting and I was really looking forward to going outside and looking at all of the beautiful freshly bloomed nature.The sky is bright blue, with only a few clouds in sight. There aren’t any leaves on the trees in the street yet, but flowers and plants were put below them, and that’s really pretty. Central Park right now is gorgeous. I had never really appreciated it much before becuase I only went when I was younger. Now, whenever we go outside, Sascha, my dad, and I love to go there. I especially like the cherry blossoms that are in the park. We have started to go on runs in the park. They are really nice, but the last time we went, which was the first time, my hip hurt, so I think we will start out with walking and jogging, and then work our way up to running. We also started this 7 day fitness challenge where you do this 7-minute workout for 7 days and I’ve enjoyed it so far. We did one last night, along with some other exercises, and then I did one this morning after I ate breakfast. I might do it again after school with my mom. What I’ve noticed, which is really weird, is that when I wake up, it’s gloomy and gray out, and then, without me realizing it, the sky turns bright blue! I love it when it’s sunny out because it makes me feel much happier than when it’s gloomy and rainy. It was raining/hailing one day this week, but I forget which one. This morning my mom made Sascha and I eggs. Sascha had a fried egg and I had scrambled. There was no advisory today because it’s Friday. The first class I had was math, but I wasn’t sure what to do because there have been no zooms lately because my teacher is sick, and I tried doing the sheet she posted yesterday, but I didn’t know how to do it, so next period, which is lunch, there’s a math clinic that I’m gonna go to and hopefully I will get help there. After math I had Gemara. Today I enjoyed it. Sometimes I don’t like it because I don’t understand it, but today I did and I was happy. We continued on a daf about passover, and learned 9 lines about leaning at the seder. Even though it’s sometimes challenging, it’s interesting to learn Gemara because it teaches me about Judaism and also strengthens my critical thinking skills. That brings us to the present, which is English class. This weekend I have to work on my history research paper, which is really hard, and plan my presentation of half of act 1.5 with three other boys. I hope it goes well haha and they actually contribute. We have ten minutes left of the class so I’m gonna go. P.S. I love sitting at my desk with the windows open when the sun is shining, it makes me feel so happy!
Today is Monday, March 20, 2020. This weekend the whole quarantine thing was making me upset. I just felf more sad about it than usual, and just wished everything would go back to normal. I know after this we’ll all appreciate everything more. I’m trying to stay positive. Today was a pretty good day, and I actually like online school, for the most part, because I can “”see” my friends. Tonight I took a bath and I read. I have to write a research paper for history that has been really hard for me to work on, so I hope I’ll make some progress tonight. My advisor/Tanach teacher’s father in law passed away, I think from coronavirus, which is horrible. My math teacher, Ms. B, was back today after being sick for about a week, which is good. Yesterday we went on a walk but I want to try to go outside more. Since we get out of school at 3:00 tomorrow, I think we’ll go outside. I like going outside. We didn’t really go outside much last weekend because we were so tired, so I’m gonna try to go to bed earlier this week, since it’s been hard to fall asleep recently and it’s annoying. I’m gonna go now because I have some things to do for school. Goodnight.
Today is Wednesday, April 1, 2020. This morning my mom made me oatmeal, I did a short workout, and then I had school. During our time for mincha, Sascha and I took a walk and went to Central Park. We’re trying to make more of an effort to go on a walk at least once a day. Yesterday we walked to Carl Schurz park with our dad and looked at the river. That park is also really pretty. Many signs of spring are coming and I love it. It makes me feel much better when we go outside because I don’t feel as confined, but I still get nervous that I might catch something and give it to other people, even though we wear masks and gloves. I have a history research paper due tomorrow night and it’s really stressing me out, but my mom has been a huge help to me. Tonight for dinner we ordered from Nargilla, which is an Israeli resturant. The food was delicious. It was the first time we ordered takeout from a restaurant since the whole quarantine thing started. My dad said we can only order cooked/hot food b/c the bacteria is killed or something b/c he doesn’t want to take any chances lol. Gotta go b/c I need to go to sleep soon. Wish me luck w/ my paper! Goodnight.
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