“Adjusting to This New Lifestyle” by Warlyn Ramirez
COVID-19, Coronavirus, has affected everyone’s life in one way or another. It has been nine months and three days—at the day I am writing this—since the first COVID-19 case was found in the United States and since then, everything has transformed into a snowball, getting bigger and bigger. However, even though it was much difficult at the beginning, it seems as if everybody is adjusting and accepting a lifestyle with COVID-19. Some of these “adjustments” that society has made include adjusting economically, personally, and academically. In this blog entry, I will be reflecting on the adjustments that I have had to do in my personal life.
The whole world's economy was impacted by this pandemic, especially communities inhabited majorly by minorities. Since the pandemic started, I left the Hofstra University Campus and went back home to the Bronx, New York. Here, my family and I encountered a situation that many people were enduring as well; everyone was losing their jobs in a city where rent costs were unaffordable for a lot of people, more than they’ve ever been. On top of that, my parents and little brother were stuck in the Dominican Republic unable to come back to the US because the borders were closed; while I was home alone with my sister, grandmother, and little cousin.
Because my parents were outside the US, they were unable to claim the unemployment benefits that the NY state was providing to help people with their necessities therefore making the situation much worse. Our last and only option was to use money from my parents checking and savings accounts; since we had an extension of my father’s debit card, I used to go to the bank and take money out to pay the rent and other necessities while they were away from home. Now that my parents came back, like many other people, they have decided to go back to work even though there is still a risk of getting infected with COVID-19, especially due to the use of public transportation.
My experience in watching this economic disparity unravel made me empathize with the families who were not prepared for a global pandemic. I know many people who could not quarantine because they did not have savings; they were living a day-by-day life and therefore had to go work when COVID-19 was at its highest peak. A couple of weeks ago, I read an article report from the website www.cdc.gov pointing out that 40% of adults in the US experienced mental health struggles. The quarantine at first was incredibly irritating, overwhelming, and depressing. However, after a few months, I began to see that it was not so bad. After I was done with my classes, around May 15, I started to understand that being alone helped me to get to know myself better; I started reading books that would help me feel inner peace. Now I feel how I am more determined and ambitious for my goals and aspirations. COVID-19 has felt bittersweet. In a sense, it helped me improve many aspects of my life, especially in a spiritual way. Therefore, I am thankful because it helped me realize that I need to keep working on myself. However, at the same time, I know that not everybody has the same mental stability to be able to support the pressure, traumas, and depression that the pandemic consumes everyone with.
When it comes to academics, after the brusque transition from in-person classes to remote learning, I learned some tricks that have helped me adjust to the 2020 Fall semester at Hofstra University. One special trick that has helped me is always to have my camera on during a zoom class. Having my camera on is the closest impression of being in an in-person class; this way I force myself to pay attention at all times and avoid distractions whether it’s my phone or other things in my dorm because I know I am visible to everyone. Another trick is to review the class material on my own after class. Sometimes, the learning environment is challenging, so I decided to teach some of the material myself after class.
We do not really know when this whole pandemic is going to end. However, humanity has been adjusting to the challenges and difficulties that this global pandemic has brought. The Snowball has injured—mentally, physically, and economically—and killed many people, but it has also united and strengthened many other people.
Warlyn Ramirez is a sophomore, part of the NOAH program, and served as a Student Fellow at the Center for “Race,” Culture and Social Justice.
Because my parents were outside the US, they were unable to claim the unemployment benefits that the NY state was providing to help people with their necessities therefore making the situation much worse. Our last and only option was to use money from my parents checking and savings accounts; since we had an extension of my father’s debit card, I used to go to the bank and take money out to pay the rent and other necessities while they were away from home. Now that my parents came back, like many other people, they have decided to go back to work even though there is still a risk of getting infected with COVID-19, especially due to the use of public transportation.
My experience in watching this economic disparity unravel made me empathize with the families who were not prepared for a global pandemic. I know many people who could not quarantine because they did not have savings; they were living a day-by-day life and therefore had to go work when COVID-19 was at its highest peak. A couple of weeks ago, I read an article report from the website www.cdc.gov pointing out that 40% of adults in the US experienced mental health struggles. The quarantine at first was incredibly irritating, overwhelming, and depressing. However, after a few months, I began to see that it was not so bad. After I was done with my classes, around May 15, I started to understand that being alone helped me to get to know myself better; I started reading books that would help me feel inner peace. Now I feel how I am more determined and ambitious for my goals and aspirations. COVID-19 has felt bittersweet. In a sense, it helped me improve many aspects of my life, especially in a spiritual way. Therefore, I am thankful because it helped me realize that I need to keep working on myself. However, at the same time, I know that not everybody has the same mental stability to be able to support the pressure, traumas, and depression that the pandemic consumes everyone with.
When it comes to academics, after the brusque transition from in-person classes to remote learning, I learned some tricks that have helped me adjust to the 2020 Fall semester at Hofstra University. One special trick that has helped me is always to have my camera on during a zoom class. Having my camera on is the closest impression of being in an in-person class; this way I force myself to pay attention at all times and avoid distractions whether it’s my phone or other things in my dorm because I know I am visible to everyone. Another trick is to review the class material on my own after class. Sometimes, the learning environment is challenging, so I decided to teach some of the material myself after class.
We do not really know when this whole pandemic is going to end. However, humanity has been adjusting to the challenges and difficulties that this global pandemic has brought. The Snowball has injured—mentally, physically, and economically—and killed many people, but it has also united and strengthened many other people.
Warlyn Ramirez is a sophomore, part of the NOAH program, and served as a Student Fellow at the Center for “Race,” Culture and Social Justice.
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