Text by RYAN SETO
Art by SAMANTHA HO and SYDNEY PANG
Family and quarantine T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE EXTRA FAMILY TIME
WO MONTHS AGO I expected the month of we’ve created. When I put up one finger to indicate how May to be full of late nights spent studying for many years I think The Civil War lasted my brothers burst APs and weekends spent procrastinating on sum- out laughing, calling me an idiot. mer job applications. However, those late nights Through Palo Alto’s high-pressure culture, students are have turned out to be filled with ultra-competitive games of programmed to focus on attaining a high level of academic “Super Smash Bros” and “Halo” with my brothers. and athletic success so that we can go to a prestigious colIn the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, my brothers lege. At this time — without the pandemic — I would be were forced to travel home from college and we all had to too caught up in school and extracurriculars to spend quality make the transition to online learning. Subsequently, my time with my family, but now that school and extracurricufamily is in contact with each other a lot lars are not as time consuming due to all more than we’re used to and the shelter in of the cancellations, I’ve had to find ways When I really think place only increased the amount of time to get along with my family. we spend together. Initially, I wasn’t excit- about it, I only have so So while I complain about missing ed at the prospect of sharing a bathroom my friends and everything that has been much time with them taken away from all of us in the last couple with my brothers or about the arguments that I thought would ensue. Though it’s [my family]. of months, there is still a bright side to not always easy, I‘ve come to realize that these dark times: I can spend more time I should put more of an effort into buildwith my family than ever before. ing relationships that will remain strong throughout adultBy next year, my oldest brother will either be searchhood. ing for jobs or on his way to graduate school, while my secI, and many other students, tend to put up a new front ond brother will be across the country in college. We’ll have when we get home. Whether it’s a toned-down or more ener- different spring breaks and various time frames for winter getic version of ourselves, we don’t act the same way around break so our family reunions will be left to those short overour family as we do around our friends. laps. Through Jackbox games like “Drawful” and In the blink of an eye I’ll be living in a dorm in “Fakin’ It,” my family and I have been getting to who knows where. After that, I’ll most likely move know each other on a more personal level. “Drawon with my own career and live in a different city, ful” is essentially “Picitonary”, but with witty capstate or even country than my family. So when tions and some guessing involved. Similar I really think about it, I only have so much to games like “Mafia” time left with them. The day will come and “The Resiswhen hometance,” “Fakin’ cooked meals It” relies on deand “Fakin’ ception and fait” with my miliarity of your family will opponents — just be a attributes that memory. So make a friendwhile quaranly, but competitive tine is incongame. venient in As we sketch exso many astremely ugly drawings pects, I’m doand write even stupiding my best to er captions, laughter take advantage cuts through the of the time I have to room when we see bond with my famthe atrocities that ily. v
38 JUNE 2020
