File #67: "Jazmin Landry-2021.CSdig.4 - Bangor Public Library Covid article.pdf"
Text
2020 had to be the craziest year of my life, and I am sure that many Americans and
people across the world can agree with me. In February, I expected for us as a
school to go on February vacation, have a grand old time, then come back to finish
my junior year. That was not the case at all. We were technically on February break
for the rest of the year! I saw it all over snapchat, facebook, tv, and it was the new
thing EVERYBODY was talking about. Covid-19, and that we are now in a
pandemic, for who knows how long. All Americans went into panic mode, acting
like it was the end of the world, or that it was a zombie apocalypse. A couple
weeks after Covid was announced, it was nearly impossible to find toilet paper
anywhere. Also, cleaning products such as clorox wipes, and even hand sanitizer
sold out in just about all stores. People were buying tons and tons of canned goods.
People didn’t leave their house for weeks. Some people still haven’t left their
house since the pandemic started, and still are in quarantine. The very first time I
ever put a mask on, was at my pizza job. My boss handed me a mask and said, we
all have to wear a mask at all times from now on. The mask he gave me was made
of fabric. I put it on, and was instantly embarrassed to wear it. Seeing people wear
it daily, I eventually got used to it and accepted that everyone felt the same way I
did about wearing masks. In the pizza store, we switched to curbside pickup
because people weren’t allowed in the restaurant considering how small it was. I
noticed how much busier we got. Our business went up drastically. During dinner
time, almost every night we had no parking spots left, and customers had to park in
the main road, which was filled with traffic. Waiting time was usually 20 minutes
for a pizza, but that changed to 45 minutes to even over an hour sometimes. It
seemed like everyone would rather eat out than cook from home! Let me tell you,
working in a hot pizza shop wearing a mask over your face for sometimes 8 hours
a day straight was not fun at all. With a mask on, it’s hard to breathe, it gets sweaty
and gross, and you can’t see people’s faces or smile, let alone hear them well.
When we went back to school, it just wasn’t the same at all. My senior year felt
like it was over. No prom. No clue what graduation was looking like for us. No
winter carnival. All social events canceled. No basketball games that you could go
to with all your friends with. School was just no fun now. Everything was different.
I have wanted to go to prom since I was in middle school. The excitement of
getting a pretty prom dress, getting all dolled up at a friends house, taking lots of
pictures, having fun at prom, going out to eat or to an after party. That dream
vanished for me. I feel like many kids and teenagers have fallen into depression
since this pandemic, including me. I just hope things will slowly but surely go back
to normal soon. Covid is no fun!
people across the world can agree with me. In February, I expected for us as a
school to go on February vacation, have a grand old time, then come back to finish
my junior year. That was not the case at all. We were technically on February break
for the rest of the year! I saw it all over snapchat, facebook, tv, and it was the new
thing EVERYBODY was talking about. Covid-19, and that we are now in a
pandemic, for who knows how long. All Americans went into panic mode, acting
like it was the end of the world, or that it was a zombie apocalypse. A couple
weeks after Covid was announced, it was nearly impossible to find toilet paper
anywhere. Also, cleaning products such as clorox wipes, and even hand sanitizer
sold out in just about all stores. People were buying tons and tons of canned goods.
People didn’t leave their house for weeks. Some people still haven’t left their
house since the pandemic started, and still are in quarantine. The very first time I
ever put a mask on, was at my pizza job. My boss handed me a mask and said, we
all have to wear a mask at all times from now on. The mask he gave me was made
of fabric. I put it on, and was instantly embarrassed to wear it. Seeing people wear
it daily, I eventually got used to it and accepted that everyone felt the same way I
did about wearing masks. In the pizza store, we switched to curbside pickup
because people weren’t allowed in the restaurant considering how small it was. I
noticed how much busier we got. Our business went up drastically. During dinner
time, almost every night we had no parking spots left, and customers had to park in
the main road, which was filled with traffic. Waiting time was usually 20 minutes
for a pizza, but that changed to 45 minutes to even over an hour sometimes. It
seemed like everyone would rather eat out than cook from home! Let me tell you,
working in a hot pizza shop wearing a mask over your face for sometimes 8 hours
a day straight was not fun at all. With a mask on, it’s hard to breathe, it gets sweaty
and gross, and you can’t see people’s faces or smile, let alone hear them well.
When we went back to school, it just wasn’t the same at all. My senior year felt
like it was over. No prom. No clue what graduation was looking like for us. No
winter carnival. All social events canceled. No basketball games that you could go
to with all your friends with. School was just no fun now. Everything was different.
I have wanted to go to prom since I was in middle school. The excitement of
getting a pretty prom dress, getting all dolled up at a friends house, taking lots of
pictures, having fun at prom, going out to eat or to an after party. That dream
vanished for me. I feel like many kids and teenagers have fallen into depression
since this pandemic, including me. I just hope things will slowly but surely go back
to normal soon. Covid is no fun!