Let’s put it this way: quarantine slapped us all in the face and called us female dogs. I’ve been reduced to begging my mom to take me grocery shopping with her. Begging. To go. Grocery Shopping. Three months ago, Coronavirus was a funny meme I brushed past on Instagram. Now, it’s taken away my ceramics class, my will to put on jeans, and any reason other than literal death to leave the house.

Now I’m not going to shed my cool gal exterior and claim I miss school and wish we could go back. Instead I will admit only this: I’ve realized that enduring all the gross parts of school is worth it to enjoy the not so bad parts, a prime example being my ceramics class.

I loved ceramics so much that I took it twice. Every day I sat down by myself, set up my Netflix, and made whatever I want. I got to play with mud in school, chuck it in an oven, and then decorate it with liquid glass. Almost sounds metal, right?

Except, of course, Coronavirus took all of that away from me. I went through an entire pottery withdrawal within the first two weeks of quarantine. I missed ceramics so much that I went to Michael’s and bought a bunch of clay and tools, if only to keep my mind off all my unfinished bowls trapped in Mr. Kamer’s room.

Spending time outside has risen in popularity over the last month. I for one hadn’t been on a walk around my neighborhood in forever, but I’ve lapped Saxonburg at least 5 times now. Who knew you could learn new things about a town you’ve lived in since you were a fetus?

For many years, my dad has been on my case about joining him for impromptu fishing trips. Now don’t get me wrong, I like fishing. There is, however, something about staring into the same water for an extended period of time that is unavoidably boring. I’m actually really good at fishing, don’t get it twisted. In a brazen moment of rebellion, my dad and I broke out of quarantine jail and went up to Neshannock Creek in New Wilmington to go fly fishing. I had never been fly fishing before, and I was an absolute pro within five minutes. Also within five minutes, I realized my wader boot had a hole in it. For three hours, I had icy creek water up to my thigh, but it did not deter me. No, I didn’t catch any fish, but I did reel one in my dad hooked. I saw a beaver, and it looked exactly like one of those huge rats from the fire swamp in The Princess Bride.

Like having time to bask in nature, online school is just another one of the many new experiences Coronavirus has bestowed upon us. Personally, I haven’t found online lessons to be much different than regular school. I also didn’t sign up for seven AP classes, so take my words with a grain of salt.

My mom did end up letting me go grocery shopping with her, and it was disappointing, to say the least. I spent an embarrassing amount of time picking out an outfit only to ruin the look by wearing a mask. I don’t think we’ll be running errands in person for a while.

We’ve settled for ordering groceries, receiving mixed produce and an unsettling amount of meat (how much chicken can four people consume?). We are, as my brother put it, now prepared for the apocalypse. Having lots of random food laying haphazardly around our kitchen surprisingly isn’t new for our family. This past summer we went on vacation, and while we were enjoying the sunny beaches of, ahem, Ohio, our refrigerator promptly expired.

We came home to a whole lotta wasted food and a 300 pound, useless hunk of steel.  For the next 2 months we walked down to the basement anytime we needed food, bringing it upstairs and taking leftovers back down. So, this whole sorting through groceries in the kitchen thing doesn’t really phase me that much, besides giving me flashbacks to those dark, dark days.

With everything that’s going on in the world right now, it’s easy to feel a loss of control. We may not be able to control what’s happening outside our homes, but remember the things that you can control. Stay hydrated, keep up a regular routine, and wash your dirty hands. Don’t roll your eyes at that last bit either, cleanliness may be over exaggerated but it is still important. 

Pick my brain with these lovely questions provided by Ms. T!

1. What frustrates you the most recently? If nothing angers you, what are you most passionate about?

This break would be a lot less boring if I was able to go out and do stuff, but literally everything is closed or completely shut down. Last Saturday I was supposed to go to Phipps Conservatory and the Mattress Factory for my friend’s birthday but both places were closed due to the virus. We went to Lawrenceville and just about everything there was closed as well. Thank God my favorite bubble tea place was still open.

2. What is the one thing I will miss the most from school

Surprisingly, there are a couple things I miss about school. I miss seeing my favorite teachers, Frau, Ms. T, Mr. Kamer, and Mrs. West. Most of all though, I miss ceramics class. Ceramics is the best part of my school day, clay-covered hands down. I sit by myself in class, watch a show on my phone, and work on whatever I feel like working on. I make bowls, sculptures, and throw on the wheel. I love using my hands to make something cool and then getting to decorate it with glaze. I missed it so much that after a week of being quarantined I went to Michael’s and bought some clay and tools to draw my mind away from the thought of all my unfinished bowls trapped in Mr. Kamer’s room.

3. What are you wearing every day and why?

Although I thought about dressing up every day to maintain some aspect of normality, I’ve just been wearing leggings and sweatshirt every day. I’d rather be comfortable than stuck in a pair of skinny jeans if I’m just going to be in my own house. I prefer leggings to sweatpants because they’re cuter and make me feel slightly more put together.

4. What are you learning about what’s happening around the globe? 

I’ve learned that the environment is flourishing due to a decrease in pollution and gas emissions in some countries since coronavirus hit. In Venice the canal water is clearer than it’s ever been since there’s been a decrease in boat traffic. In late January there was a 25% drop in China’s carbon dioxide emissions due to travel restrictions.

Student Q&A

1. What is something you missed while away from school

Student Name: Becka Hortert

Grade: 12

I’ve missed seeing all of my friends, and having an actual routine.

Student Name: Gabe Webb

Grade: 11

I miss seeing people and interacting with my friends.

Student Name: Brady Collins

Grade: 12

I’ve missed my friends more than anything. i didn’t realize how much i took seeing them for granted.

Student Name: John Holben

Grade: 11

I miss going to carpentry and seeing my friends at school and Vo-Tech.

2. How have you been spending your days?  

Student Name: Becka Hortert

Grade: 12

A heck of a lot of Netflix/Disney plus and I’ve been going to a local park and reading and walking there.

Student Name: Gabe Webb

Grade: 11

I’ve been trying to find ways to get out of the house and ways to hang out with friends.

Student Name: Brady Collins

Grade: 12

A lot of sleep. A LOT of sleep. And video games. And occasionally work.

Student Name: John Holben

Grade: 11

I’ve been keeping busy by going hiking and kayaking when the weather’s nice enough. If it’s raining or really cold I stay in and mostly play guitar or listen to records.

3. How much work have you done on your “at home” lessons? 

Student Name: Becka Hortert

Grade: 12

About the same amount I do at school aka barely any.

Student Name: Gabe Webb

Grade: 11

I haven’t started my work at all.

Student Name: Brady Collins

Grade: Grade 12

I have done none of it since we were told not to.

Student Name: John Holben

Grade: 11

I have done none of my homework or lessons, but I will hopefully get to doing them in the near future.

4. What have you found to be the most surprising during your time being quarantined? 

Student Name: Becka Hortert

Grade: 12

I think the most surprising thing is how much time I’ve spent on Tik Tok, I didn’t have it until we started quarantine and now I’m addicted.

Student Name: Gabe Webb

Grade: 11

I’ve found how paranoid people are about this and how panicked the public got in such a short amount of time.

Student Name: Brady Collins

Grade: 12

How much baking one family can do and how nice it is to sleep till 1:30 pm every day.

Student Name: John Holben

Grade: 11

What I have found most surprising during quarantine is how many chores around the house I never do, and that doing them isn’t that bad now because there are so few things to do away from home.