With the entire state adjusting amidst these strange times, my life has also seen a complete overhaul. As my Indiana University classes transition to an online forum and I move back home, I’ve had my fair share of struggles. Since the Little 500 bike races were canceled, which was my biggest extracurricular activity, I’ve found myself with a lot of time on my hands, more than usual for a college student. I’ve kept myself busy on purpose, mainly for limited wasted time spent on binge-watching Netflix alone in my room. As I’ve moved home, I’ve filled my time with activities other than work and school.
One activity I’ve picked up during this time is going on walks with my mom and our neighbor; of course, we adhere to social distancing. Luckily for me, our neighbor and my family have been friends since I was young, so it’s been nice to catch up. Also, these walks are not casual strolls. I quickly learned that the walks would be no less than three miles long and take around an hour. I absolutely attribute my sanity to these walks. Even though I have a lot of quiet time to myself, the walks give me a connection to nature and a means of exercising. Plus, the conversations aren’t terrible! The update on home-town dilemmas is a nice change of pace from the overwhelming influx of COVID-19 related news.
Another way I’ve adapted to not being in my beloved college town is through the use of Zoom. About once a week, my sorority friends and I all get on Zoom for virtual happy hours. This has been an amazing treat for me as I did not live with all of my friends in the sorority house this year. Connecting virtually, whether it be 3-hour FaceTime calls (which, yes, I’ve had) or just a quick 20-minute chat, helps break up my day and make me feel connected to my close friends.
One trick I plan on pulling out soon is family game night. One positive to this situation is that I get to see my dad a lot more as well. Even when I did come home from Bloomington, he could be on call or at the hospital unable to come home. Since this stay at home mandate has been in effect, there have been a lot more family dinners and movie nights, which I appreciate immensely.
Overall, there has been a lot of sadness between graduation being postponed and the Little 500 races being canceled. Fortunately for me, I’ve been able to figure out a schedule and activities that keep me going and looking at the positive side.
