It has been a year since March 2020. March 2020 is widely known as the month where the United States went into lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I remember the day when the announcement for school closure was made in the Mount Laurel School District. COVID-19 was running rampant throughout the United States, and cases were rising every day. My classmates and I all knew that schools were closing around the country, and everyone was impatiently waiting for our district to be next. My teachers tried their best to prepare us for what they thought would only be a month away from school. Many of the people I spoke to thought that this pandemic would pass quickly, and provide us a month-long vacation from learning. However, they could not have been more wrong.

That month turned into twelve months. During these months, Americans learned to live completely different lives to the ones they had before. At the beginning of the lockdown, only necessities like grocery stores remained open. Many families, including my own, had to rely on online shopping for items, such as clothing, as opposed to going to a store. Countless restaurants and small businesses were closed due to the financial stress of the lack of consumers. When I look back on going to my favorite restaurants indoors and spending time with my loved ones, it all seems like a distant memory.

The use of technology has been a big part of this quarantine. Learning how to navigate platforms like Zoom and Google Meet was essential for gathering with large groups of people. I remember it being incredibly hard in the beginning, switching to being on a screen all the time. However, many good things have come out of these platforms. They allowed things like classes and charity events to continue, and people can still interact with others all over the world.

Social media has also become a great form of communication. My most used social media app is Tiktok. It has become a way for me to feel connected to others my age. By using social media, I can learn about fashion trends, entertainment, and current events. Going on social media has now become a daily occurrence in my life.

What I have noticed the most is that I have changed my perspective on others. I truly believe that I now have greater respect for the groups of people who have struggled during this pandemic. My appreciation goes out to the front-line workers who risked their lives every day to help people in need and the teachers who had to learn a new way of teaching in such a short time.

After all this time to myself, I have noticed a change in my self perception as well. Having so much free time has allowed me to be better in touch with my needs and emotions. Kennedy Dancy, another freshman at Lenape, shared a very similar experience. When asked about her personal development over quarantine, she said, “I feel like I have gained a better understanding of myself and my past self. I have learned to expand my focus on certain things and to handle my emotions better.”

For better self-care, I have tried to focus on activities that make me calm and happy. I have taken up baking and drawing. I asked my fellow classmate, Anna Cooper, about taking up any hobbies over the quarantine, and she replied, “I started working out, I baked for a little and I read.”

Changing into this new lifestyle over the past few months has been interesting, to say the least. From finding new ways to communicate with friends to online learning, this quarantine has changed everyone. I hope that this shared experience can bring the people in this country closer together and that life in quarantine will be a distant memory.