Life in Quarantine

life in QUARANTINE

quiet

Same sights, same people, same empty highways and closed-up parks day in and day out. We did our best to fill the time with group FaceTimes and movie marathons, and we posted on Twitter about the status of various passion projects we started while stuck at home. Life quickly slipped into something still, and we either remained still with it or packed a day’s schedule with new hobbies and habits.

unexpected

The transition from routine to uncertainty was abrupt for many people. For students, there were no in-person classes and no graduation ceremonies. “There’s no goodbye,” says Celest Solis, a UO senior. “There’s no sense of closure. I wish somehow someone could’ve told me that would be the last time I would be in that moment.”

asinine

For the first time in history, the Olympics were postponed during peacetimes. Major sporting events, including NCAA tournaments, were canceled. Cable TV networks slated rerun after rerun and movie theaters shut their doors. Instagrammers hopped on trends like “until tomorrow,” where people posted embarrassing photos and deleted them 24 hours later. Desperate for distraction, Gen Z turned to the viral video social media app TikTok to fill their time and in some small way, help them feel a little less alone.

resourceful

Following a national shortage of Personal Protective Equipment or PPE, people all over the country pulled out their sewing machines and spare fabric to make face masks to donate. Universities around the world went virtual, with many classes being held via the video-chat service “Zoom.” Without access to barbershops or salons, people picked up the scissors to cut their own hair, and perhaps realized for the first time just how talented their hairdressers are. People adapted, however necessary, to make sure life would go on.

artisan

To escape the boredom of staying home, people picked up all kinds of new hobbies and skills. Some dedicated more time for reading while others learned new instruments. One thing that never left our Instagram feeds: home baking. Manufacturers of commercial yeast even announced early into quarantine that demand had soared to near-unmanageable levels while everyone declared themselves the new sourdough aficionados.

Isolation became the norm for people across the world following the outbreak of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. For some UO students, this time of physical distancing was lonely. For others, a joy. In any case, it taught us a variety of new ways to understand ourselves and others. NT I NE

nurturing

In our semi-absence, the earth was able to take a breath. With roads mostly empty of commuters and travelers, reductions in traffic and industry lowered nitrogen dioxide levels and offered an accidental glimpse into what a lowcarbon future could look like. Likewise, after Italians shut themselves in to slow spread of the virus, the Venice canals ran clearer than they had in decades.

terrifying

While some people had the luxury of working from home, others weren’t so lucky. Small business closed their doors, worrying they might never open again. Essential workers suited up each day and headed out to keep the world running. “I’ve definitely learned to value my immediate family,” says Briana Chavez, a UO senior. “Having two sisters that are nurses, one of which is working through the pandemic. She moved out of my parents’ house to keep the family safe through the virus. It’s tough but she’s taught me to really value family and appreciate every second together.”

isolating

Some students went home to parents and families before Governor Brown issued the statewide shelter-in-place order. Others suddenly found themselves in an eerily empty Eugene. “I was able to stay in contact with other friends stuck in Eugene by waving at them through windows,” UO junior Laurel Sleeper says. “But it honestly made things feel more isolating because I knew I couldn’t hug them or get any closer. It was also frustrating seeing friends who didn’t isolate, because I was jealous of the people meeting up but also angry that they weren’t being safe.”

nostalgic

As the old cliché goes, you never know what you have until it’s gone. In the absence of friends and routines, we reflected on the things we missed the most and why. Even though she didn’t get the college graduation she’d always expected, UO senior Rachel McKinnon kept her perspective positive. “I don’t think it diminishes the relationships we built here,” McKinnon says. “I think it makes our bonds stronger.”

extraordinary

Quarantine seemed to highlight what set us apart, but it also heightened the things that brought us together. We used emotional connection to fill the physical distance. People got creative with ways to encourage their neighbors to stay strong with messages of support in chalk popping up on sidewalks all over. Others stepped up to shop for the elderly as they were most susceptible to the virus. And many found unique ways to show appreciation for essential workers like healthcare providers, educators and food-service employees.