Students from the United States have shared their reflections as part of the Global Student Stories Project A Day in my Life: living under the Covid-19 Pandemic.

A Day in my Life, written by Ethan, 18, USA

My area has just become one of the most infected areas of my state. Things are much different than they used to be. I defiantly feel the panic from others as grocery stores sellout of things like toilet paper or bottled water. I feel the panic from our leaders, who have put policy in place to hopefully end this virus in the near future. I think the reaction is appropriate and I appreciate everything that people are doing to help stop the spread, no matter how boring it may be.

I can confidently say that my life has indeed changed. I am a senior in high school, and this was not how I was planning to spend my senior year. Every day I wake up and “go” to online school. I do my work and then workout. I eat at the times we normally would eat. My routine is extremely repetitive, and we have only been doing this for a few weeks. I understand that we may have to do this for a long time, and I am fully willing to do so in hopes that we can return to normal soon.

I think the biggest challenge for me has been realizing that I might never go to my high school again to thank the teachers who changed my life and finally graduate after waiting four long years. It is hard that I must make a college decision in a time like this, but I also understand that there are many people out there who are not in the same position I am at the moment, so I am grateful for my opportunities and my blessings. However, I do feel that there is good in this situation. I plan on going to college across the country, so I am glad I can spend time with my family before I leave. I believe that the future is uncertain going forward. I always ask myself if things will ever go back to what I consider “normal”. I hope that it will, and I hope that I will get the opportunity to do the things I want to do in my life. I think that there is something to be learned, but I just do not know what it is yet. I hope we can fight this together and come out stronger.

A Day in my Life, wriiten by Hudson, 17, USA

The coronavirus started as much less of a real threat than it is now. I think it’s fair to say that most of the country was not worried about how it might affect us when we first heard about it. Now that it is in full swing in the United States, we are all now well aware of how much of a threat it is. My life has been completely uprooted because of the virus. As soon as the potential for a state-wide quarantine became a possibility, my parents decided to move us out to our house in Paso Robles temporarily. Because of the slow internet here remote learning has become nearly impossible to do effectively. I find that I have a lot more time to myself which provides more reflection time which I will always welcome, but not having the option to be with others has been really hard. I hope that everyone around the world can recognize the danger that COVID-19 poses to us, and that everyone stays safe and healthy.

A Day in my Life, written by Jack, 18, USA

I feel as though the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a seismic tear in both the communities of the internet and real-life by upheaving peace and normalcy.
Online, new articles, hashtags, and posts about every little update and tidbit about the Coronavirus are being pumped out every second, every minute, every hour, every day and in every corner, leaving no digital stones untouched. Panic runs rampant as the rhetoric portrays the beginning of the apocalypse and the end of the world as we know it. It’s as if the internet has been set ablaze with no fire-exits to escape, with no firefighters to extinguish the flames.

While in real life, the world feels paralyzed in a suspenseful state of anticipation of the dreaded future. It’s eerily quiet, with almost no one is outside out and about, the only sounds that can be heard are the occasional birds chirping, the soft drops of the spring rain, and the wind whistling through the trees. Despite the crystal clears blue skies from the lack of traffic, the future couldn’t be more obfuscated and befogged as everyone waits anxiously in isolation hoping for the pandemic to pass.

While they may seem radically different on the surface, they both share an underlying root of fear that drives both of their reactions. Fear floods the internet with so much information that it overwhelms everyone on it, causing chaos and panic. While on the other hand, the unknown and highly contagious nature of the virus causes almost everyone to be scared straight and stiff in their homes, with nearly no one even daring to leave them even for the essentials.

But I feel incredibly optimistic about the future, there is an antidote to fear, as it is HOPE that will pull us through these difficult times. By having faith that this virus will pass, listening to the medical professionals and authorities, staying indoors, keeping good hygiene, social distancing, not giving in to the fear-mongering (like hoarding toilet paper and such), and being mindful and supportive for those deeply affected either physically or emotionally, I whole- heartily believe that we will be able to persevere and come out stronger than ever!

A Day in my Life, written by Sutter, 18, USA

The coronavirus has changed the way we live. My sister had to come home from college in New York. My sister in Los Angeles is feeling sick. My parents have to work from home, and I have to go to school from home. Everything is closed. We can’t go the movies, to restaurants, to stores, or meet friends. We’re all waiting at home, so we don’t all give it to each other.

My grandparents say they have never seen anything like it in their lifetimes. Where I live and in more places around the country, we have to stay in our houses unless we have to leave the house for medical care or to buy food. So, I haven’t been out of the house much in two weeks. I miss everybody at school and missing the rest of my family. One thing we’ve started to do is meet up with my dad’s big family over the internet using Zoom. We did this for my grandpa’s birthday, and we could all see each other on the screen at the same time. Grandkids from all over the world were there, from Australia, New York, Hawaii and from all over California. It was pretty amazing and really fun to see all my cousins. It was a nice way to celebrate my Grandpa’s 85th birthday since none of us could be there.

The near future is uncertain for my country and all the countries in the world. In some ways, we all have a common enemy for once, the virus. Italian doctors were warning the world what was to come a few weeks ago and telling the rest of the world to prepare. This was different, since rarely does the world look out for each other. I’m hoping the countries of the world see what they have in common a bit more after this terrible disease has attacked us all. My country was not prepared to respond, so maybe we can be more prepared the next time this happens, because it will probably happen again. So, maybe this common suffering and challenge will make the world see each other as one thing, as one people. Not that our countries and cultures aren’t important, but that we can all help each other prepare to limit the suffering and unnecessary death that has surprised the world this time with this virus​.