From The quaranteens:
What Isolation has taught us about life
kristen harriott
On September 11th, 2001, a group of terrorists in an organized plot apprehended four airplanes and grounded the Twin Towers, taking with them 2,977 American lives. In the aftermath, America was shaken; the devastation sent ripples of grief and fear throughout millions of lives, and from the rubble, came a new America branded with ideals of achieving domestic security and an united body. The devastation inspired the country to be better: in the years to follow, America would promote its diversity, expand its social thought, and be more connected to the world abroad more than ever before. They placed their inspiration-- this hope for a better tomorrow--into the young generation.
Eighteen years later, the children who were born within the year following the September 11th attack are now graduating into a world buried by the COVID-19 pandemic. Seniors of the 2020 class, including myself, are now alone at home from worldwide school cancellations, mandatory quarantines, and a mass humanitarian crisis. We now are witness to empty supermarket shelves and skyrocketing unemployment; we see the rising international death tolls on the news, and bravery from humans all around the world . Born into a world shaken by devastation, we are now witness and, too, victim to one similar. For the first time in American history, all fifty states and territories are under a State of Emergency; similarly, almost all countries afflicted have induced policies mandating only necessitated travel and sanitary precautions, in efforts to stop the virus's spread. For many, this means life in isolation.
Historians are now calling his unprecedented time "The Great Pause." Reaching out to teenagers from around the globe, whose lives were, too, put on hold, I wanted to learn about how the quarantine had affected them, and most importantly, what has the crisis taught them about life as a result, dated on such a pivotal year in their lives.
Eighteen years later, the children who were born within the year following the September 11th attack are now graduating into a world buried by the COVID-19 pandemic. Seniors of the 2020 class, including myself, are now alone at home from worldwide school cancellations, mandatory quarantines, and a mass humanitarian crisis. We now are witness to empty supermarket shelves and skyrocketing unemployment; we see the rising international death tolls on the news, and bravery from humans all around the world . Born into a world shaken by devastation, we are now witness and, too, victim to one similar. For the first time in American history, all fifty states and territories are under a State of Emergency; similarly, almost all countries afflicted have induced policies mandating only necessitated travel and sanitary precautions, in efforts to stop the virus's spread. For many, this means life in isolation.
Historians are now calling his unprecedented time "The Great Pause." Reaching out to teenagers from around the globe, whose lives were, too, put on hold, I wanted to learn about how the quarantine had affected them, and most importantly, what has the crisis taught them about life as a result, dated on such a pivotal year in their lives.
the question:
"what has the quarantine taught you?"
beyond Johns Creek: TESTIMONIALS
29 teenagers
14 STATES
6 countries
Melissa Meng
Blacksburg, Virginia USA |
"The quarantine crisis has taught me to really value the in-person time that I've been able to spend with my friends, as well as see how socially-dependent we are as human beings. I recall how just a few months ago, I wanted to stay at home and do nothing instead of being shrouded with work, but I've realized that it's not exactly the bliss it comes across as. I believe that part of the problem is based around the fact that there is so much vagueness surrounding the entire situation. There's no definite time that this'll be ending. There's no definite plan for the future. However, I think that coming out of this, it's taught me to live more in the present, and to focus on the things I can still do instead of the things that have been taken away from me. After all, I'd much rather believe that I'm making the choice to stay at home so that I can protect those I love, instead of feeling forced to stay at home against my will." |
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"My dad lost his job and my mom got a 30% pay cut. My dad lives an hour away, so I don’t get to see him as often. All of my immediate family is fine, but friends of relatives have died. One of my friend’s dad died. My last track season ended before outdoor season started, and I’m not running in college. Prom is cancelled, and graduation is postponed until further notice. I can’t see my friends and family. E-learning makes it hard to learn. I can’t visit the college I want to attend. The stock market and the loss of income makes my student loans debt a lot higher. I’m just hoping we get through this soon."
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"It took away a lot of the things I love the most—my friends, teachers, sports, and being able to make memories in my final year of school. It’s definitely been hard emotionally to come to terms with the fact that I’m never going to get this time back. However, I’ve also learned to look for the silver lining, no matter how out of control this whole situation seems. I’ve learned to never take anything in my life for granted, because right about now, I would give anything even to take a hard test or endure a difficult workout with my tennis team—things that never used to feel like a privilege. I’ve grown to understand that you need a little disappointment in order to truly appreciate the good things in life." |
Chloe Wilson
Hanson, Massachusetts USA |
Yakeisha Fearon
Mandeville, Manchester Jamaica |
"Being home alone in quarantine, with my country basically on lockdown, has tested my mental health in excruciating ways, but it has also made me stronger in that regards. I have learnt that I am stronger than I thought and I have improved my mental health over this past month. I also learned that I don’t work well with online schooling." |
"I have lost the end of my senior year and all the festivities that come with it. I also lost my final season of golf. I am now concerned I will lose my first semester of college. I have learned that when everything is stripped from you, you realize what is truly important. For me, that is my family and my Savior, Jesus Christ. During this time, I have been growing stronger in my relationship with God and have been spending lots of quality time with my family. I call my other family members who don't live with me daily to check on how they are doing. I have also learned the importance of not taking anything for granted. It sounds cliché, but I will now treat everyday as if it is my last. I had my last day of school just like that and didn't even know it. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. My advice to everyone would be to live everyday as if its your last and to tell and show the important people in your life how much they mean to you, and be thankful for the blessings that you have (including the little ones we tend to take for granted) because you never know what tomorrow holds." |
Ashley Kimani
Urbandale, Iowa USA |
Sade Collier
Perry, Georgia USA |
"COVID-19 has definitely affected my life in an unprecedented manner, just as it has many others. Primarily, for me, it’s halted everything regarding my senior year, including final state advisory meetings and organizational competitions, which both were immensely significant for me. It has also, of course, caused the cancellation of many more events and has the plausibility of graduation up in the air. I’m hurt by all of these, but the largest impact is my mental health. Transitioning to online work has been difficult, especially since I don’t have a home accustomed to be a learning environment. Additionally, spending so much time focusing on all of these screens has caused persistent headaches. I feel trapped. I don’t think I’m deserving of anything, but I just want for me and everyone else in the world to be able to return to life before the crisis. We need it. This is taking such a toll on everyone. |
"I’m a track and field athlete that trains 11 months out of the year and I’m one of the top in my state; I was excited for the spring season, because I hoped to improve and compete in our state championships. Two meets in, and the season has already been canceled. It was really devastating because, being in a warm area, we don’t get an indoor season like our East Coast counterparts, so I barely got to run. Also, on the academic side, I’m enrolled in a lot of AP classes and we were just starting to prepare for the AP tests, so it’s more challenging now for our teachers to try acclimate to this new form of teaching, because our school is not accustomed to using online as other districts may be. [Luckily,] they are quickly making up and doing an adequate job with still enriching us in this challenging time. |
Egbe Ndip-Agbor
Corona, California USA |
Gabi Davidson Adams
Cornwall, Ontario Canada |
"Being an athlete, I have found quarantine very difficult. COVID-19 has forced all gyms and training facilities to close so I am stuck training in my house [within] my dining room. I would...train outside, but there is still lots of snow where I live. I have no equipment, so I’m stuck improvising. I’ve filled a book bag full of cans and heavy books for weights. I’m finding it hard to really get into it because for me...home is not the right environment to focus and workout. I obviously make do, but I’m worried...this quarantine will last all summer. I need to get back to my regular training regimen and back on the ice to practice (Gabi is a hockey player). I’ve learned that the things I have previously taken for granted, I [should] now value. This virus has opened my eyes to so many things. I know that working out at home may not seem that bad, but we’re all being impacted differently." |
"The championships of both of the main extracurriculars I am in got cancelled and I probably won’t see any of my classmates again. I learned not only to cherish every single moment that you have with the people you love, but also that no matter the distance, humans will always create family. My college group chat has become closer than ever and I really can’t wait to be on campus with them." |
Jebron Perkins
Georgetown, Texas USA |