With all of the time that everyone now has, what are we doing with it?
The World Health Organization classified the COVID-19 virus as a pandemic in March of 2020. Soon after, multiple state governors across the US had declared state-wide quarantines. Everyone was required to stay indoors and not leave the house except for essential reasons such as work or getting groceries.
When the quarantine first started, most people around the nation and the world were unsure what to do. Looking at social media during this time, people either had their world turned upside down because they were always outside socializing or they practically lived indoors and this quarantine hadn’t affected their daily routine.
Once the trend of things such as ‘quarantine projects’ had begun, people suddenly realized that one thing they could do to pass the time was to pick up a hobby.
In the year that has passed since the quarantine began, people have ultimately found ways to spend that time. Video games, house plants, sourdough starts, binging the latest documentaries about murderous owners of tiger habitats, etc. We may know what activities are the most popular amongst the people at large, but what are some activities that are being favored by students?
“When it was still warm outside, I was doing a lot of bird watching,” said student Rachel Douglas, “Now that it’s colder, I’ve started to really enjoy cooking.”
“Film photography,” said student Jarrett Hunt, “Been developing some film at home to pass the time.”
“I have started drawing, when not busy with school work,” said student Cerissa Leach.
“Playing a lot of chess,” student, Ilya Alekseevd said. “Writing a book on my daily life and realizing that it will take years to write [and] studying my human rights book a lot, this pandemic showed how corrupt the system really is!”
“Yoga and audiobooks,” said student Janae Carrothers, “Lots of self-development and reflection.”
Reading, cooking, art, and exercise appear to be the most notable quarantine activities amongst SFCC students. Other notable activities include experiencing nature, writing, and questioning systemic authority. Truly a diverse set of extracurricular interests.