https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BHZPS5jNDTdBqTikCziotLmHKd_x5Vfx/view?usp=sharing
By Kiana Kitchen
From my home to work, I see the city lit up with heart signs. The Fairmont hotel, the hotel that captured the eyes of Austin locals and non-locals alike with its bright, colorful nighttime displays, had shut down due to low customer traffic, leaving other buildings to take its place and light up with hearts, for all the workers and everyone impacted by COVID-19.
I was living on campus when I heard that St. Edward’s was shutting down. I was worried for what the change would mean for me, but I realized that it was all necessary as COVID-19 gained more victims, even being fatal to teens and young adults. Since then, I accepted the move from on-campus to home and online courses, but it came with having to adjust to a lot of new procedures.
When I heard about St. Edward’s switching to online classes, my mind immediately went to many issues with the convenience. Such as how I could get up 5 minutes after waking up straight to class, or how many people would attend class in their pajamas. However, I quickly found that the whole attending class shortly after getting up wasn’t fun, and left me low-energy. I also found myself with the distraction of home. All of my favorite games, my TV, my off-class projects, my little brother, and my artwork supplies were at home, and I found myself sidetracking a lot. But home wasn’t the only thing that worried me during COVID-19 and online classes.
I work part-time at a Starbucks nearby campus. I make the commute from home with my dad, as the city buses from where we lived became dangerous and unreliable. At work, we were, as of April, required to wear face masks, and gloves when helping the customers. Starbucks became drive-thru only for sometime, leaving many cafe-only stores shut down for a whole month. We were busy for the longest time due to this; despite the call to stay home, many people, mainly non-essential workers, refuse to do so, hence we have had many long lines throughout the breakout. My store was shut down for one week, as one of my coworkers, who works an opposite shift from me, had gotten sick. She is alive and completely healed; after almost two months of not seeing her, I’ve worked a shift with her recently!
Besides work and school, I have play a lot of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Minecraft. It was the best way to keep in contact with a lot of my friends, since most of them had to stay home. I would also use some time to spend with my mom and dad while they were off work; since they didn’t have to go out other than for work, they would stay inside and watch TV during their free time. I’ve went out once, for a reason besides work, at the beginning, as seen in the video, to see how 6th street looks. It was eerie to see the usually busy and hectic street so empty, but peaceful at the same time.
I’m hoping that people will eventually take the right steps to, “flatten the curve”. One thing I share in common with many people my age is wanting to go out for summer vacation and celebrate holidays. I’m looking forward to being able to eat and shop somewhere besides work. Also, did you know this year’s Halloween has a full moon and is on a Saturday? Most people hope to celebrate it! While new cases have appeared by the thousands, I have hope for the rest of 2020, especially since my friends and family have all done so well!