Pandemic Diaries– Two years later

During the lockdown of 2020, the Milton High School journalism students had to pivot from covering school news to…. Something else. We decided that leaving a record of our experiences of the time was a valuable way to contribute to the historical record of the future. We called the project the Pandemic Diaries. As we—hopefully—are putting the worst of the pandemic experience behind us, the current journalism students revisited the project and tried to briefly encapsulate their pandemic experiences—ultimately in only about 250 words. Their stories appear under their names.

Shalynn Mathias

On September 30, 2021, I went to bed thinking everything would be fine but 3:30 a.m. the next morning rolled around, and I was awakened by not being able to breathe. It felt like there was boulders on the center of my chest. My mom had to work that day, so she’d been getting ready to leave and heard me gasping for air and rushed to my room. 

She hurried me to Evangelical ER, where they put me into a quarantine room and connected me to fluids. When we were at the hospital, my results came back as positive… Go figure. 

At Evan, they did a CAT scan to further examine my lungs due to the concern of Covid Pneumonia, which the scan revealed I had as well. After HOURS there, they decided that the best decision was to transport me to Geisinger, in Danville, since Evan doesn’t have a pediatric floor. I was transported by ambulance at around 9 a.m. that morning. 

Around 8 p.m. that night, Geisinger discharged me but I didn’t want to leave since I knew I still couldn’t breathe. I did end up going home against my better judgement.  

Not even two days later, a physician called my mom for a check-up. They had my mom rush me back to Geisinger. This time, they sent me to the ER. I don’t really remember much from the ER since I was so sick but I do know they eventually gave me my own room. I’d spend the next seven days in that same room.   

Out of this event, I gained a closer connection to God. I still question why he chose to let me live and heal while others suffer, though it gives me hope.  

Veronica Cabrera

After school on March 13, 2020, my mother picked ShaLynn, Emma, Savannah and me up. We had planned to spend the afternoon together and have a sleepover after the Middle School Dance.

After my mom dropped us off, she left with my sisters to go pick up Ernesto, my father, from New York. We decided to walk to Weis to get ice cream and coffee after she left.

Then we walked back to my house to watch movies and film TikToks together. I did not have TikTok at the time so it was a bit of a learning process for me. This motivated me to convince my mom to let me download the app.

Later that evening the rest of my family returned and brought McDonald’s for dinner since they had eaten Chick-Fil-A on their way back. None of us fought over who got to have the chicken nuggets… at least not that much.

We spent the rest of the night in my room finding ways to entertain ourselves and avoid Ernesto before we eventually fell asleep.

When we woke up the next morning, we went for a walk. We were having so much fun so I asked my mom if my friends could stay another night, but Ernesto told us no. So, we started making plans to stay at Emma’s aunt’s house for a night. My mom said I could go and everybody’s parents had already approved. Then Ernesto wouldn’t allow me to go.

Even now Ernesto tries to be controlling.

Keith Houtz

There were a lot of things helped me get through the pandemic. A few of those things were music, video games, skateboarding and constant reassurance that everything will be okay from my family. All of these things helped me keep my sanity and made me feel somewhat normal and calm when things were at their worst. 

Virtual school was probably the best thing to come out of the pandemic. Staying asleep until five minutes before class started and getting to stay in bed all day was the most comfortable I’ve ever been while learning. 

The only bad part about it was that in the beginning nobody knew how to adjust to virtual school so everything was a mess. For example, nobody knew how to turn in assignments, the teachers didn’t know how to start meetings in Microsoft Teams, and students would be falling asleep or not paying attention. 

One of the many memories I have from the pandemic was when I woke up, rested, relaxed, and wondering how much time I had until class started. Then I checked the clock and second block had started 30 minutes ago. Oops… 

Two years after the beginning of the pandemic and almost everything is back to normal. School, restaurants, and other public places are all mask and social distancing free. Of course, there are still places and times to be careful, like a hospital full of sick people or a crowded concert, but you don’t go to those places every day. 

Mercedez Farr

One thing from quarantine that still continues to this day is how open my family is with one another. Specifically, the time I spent with my siblings during quarantine brought lasting memories that will stick with me forever, despite the fever dream of the pandemic quarantine. 

The pandemic fears eased up quickly for me and my siblings; they would remain with my mother. Day after day, an array of news articles would rapidly flood her mind with anxiety and overpowering uncertainty of the future. These parental fears would plague her for months in a way my siblings and I could never fully grasp until looking back. She would buy tons of masks, not knowing which would actually work, or if they even worked at all. All the while, my siblings and I reveled in the free time.  

But, her fears ceased by the end of the summer. The pandemic became an almost normal part of our lives. My siblings and I were isolated from our friends, but we understood the risk of COVID-19. We had one another to stay entertained with playing board and video games, watching movies, binging shows or playing outside. 

Most significantly my brother and I would open up to each other more as we realized we were more alike than we thought. As we are only a year a part in age, we began to bond more. But, I would still have many bonding moments with my sister, who is three years younger than me, during our girls’ nights. 

Still today, the bond I have with my siblings is very open and close as we grow to become adults together. 

Violet Bell

“Don’t worry, we will be back soon. Give it two weeks, and ‘it’ will be practically gone because we are all inside!” people kept saying. Empty promises to ourselves.  

Wrong again. Flash forward four weeks from that day. We have been doing our classes online. I haven’t been allowed to hang out with anyone, or go to the store, or the gas station, or any public place that could have even one germ on the surface.  

The pure anger I felt when I saw rising cases, people protesting quarantine or masks, and official news sources saying things would never be the same again. It was panic, it was shocking, and I was enraged.  

“What do you mean you’re protesting a virus? People are dying. It’s right before your eyes,” was something I found myself saying quite frequently.  

Being in my house for days on end had an effect on my person. I developed the habit of sleeping in late, leaving dishes in my room and sitting on my phone for hours. Many of the habits I still haven’t been able to break.  

As much as there was bad, I tried to focus on the good that came out of this pandemic. It is hard to admit, but there were good things, at least for me. I came up with new ways to decorate my room, new ways to act, and dress. I improved my skills in hobbies such as drawing, writing, reading, and I practiced my guitar more than ever before.  

Hailey Botts

It all started on March 13. Mr. Ishman, my eighth-grade history teacher said we were definitely not going home. But then we were off for two weeks.  

As soon as I got home I texted my friend Siena. I was so excited to get a break from school. I spent most of the quarantine at my aunt’s house because being at my own house was boring. 

I went out in public quite a few times. One of the first places I remember going to is Walmart. I wore an N95 mask and thought I was going to suffocate. It was awkward, and I felt like everyone was staring at me. 

 I took lots of car rides and went on walks. I binge-watched the Tiger King. That was a major waste of time, but I don’t regret it. I also tried to make the viral whipped coffee everyone was raving about. It tasted like battery acid, and I will never drink it again. 

The worst part about the pandemic was not being able to see all my family. 

I was most anxious when I had to go into ninth grade without a tour of the high school. I had no idea where anything was, and I was terrified.  

On my first day of freshman year, I had no idea where I was. It felt like I was in a whole new world. Until I found my best friend, Jayden Wood. She had the exact same schedule as I did.  

Two years later I have found my way around the high school and it’s a piece of cake now.  

Jayden Wood

March 2020 is when it all started. It has been two years and a couple days since then, but so much has changed. 

The pandemic made many people change to masks, social distancing, no big events, virtual school and more. 

I was not allowed to leave the house until two months after the lockdown began then I finally left my house to go with friends, go to bonfires and live life. Even though we were still supposed to keep things small and wear masks, I never did. 

Although I did get to go out, I still missed the feeling of not worrying. I missed not having to stress. I missed everything about being a kid. When I say this, I mean I didn’t get my teenage fun as much because I was locked down for so long. I didn’t get to go out with friends, go shopping and hang out with family.  

I developed pet peeves from the pandemic. I don’t appreciate people acting weird about coughing, sneezing and being weird about being in a group. For example, if I am walking around Walmart and I sneeze, I get a dirty look. If I am at Sheetz with a whole group of friends, a “Karen” comes through and tells us we need to split up because there are to many of us together. 

Things like this happened and still happen all the time. As a teenager and human, I just wish the negativity would stop, and we could go back to the way we were. 

Brayden Munn

The first six months of the pandemic were a blur to me. I barely remember the end of eighth grade, but it’s still disappointing that we didn’t do anything that we were going to do before it ended. I remember experimenting with my style and personality. 

The summer of 2020 was really bad, and the low point was that my baby sister died a month after she was born. My mom was in Augusta, Georgia, at a children’s hospital, and they tried their best to keep her alive. However, she died on the evening of June 30. I was at McDonald’s gobbling up a quarter pounder.  

It was a really dark few days after that, but I just went on with whatever I was doing. Yes, I was upset that I never got to meet her, but I prepared myself for her death. I braced myself for the news that I knew would break. 

I got ready for freshman year of high school, we were all depressed because of everything that had happened. I was scared of high school, and the pandemic didn’t help. 

We had to wear masks, and they separated the cafeteria so that it was more spread out. We didn’t have lockers, and we couldn’t go to any sports games unless we had a ticket from the school. The restrictions didn’t help with cases, because until March, there was an outbreak every other week.  

Overall, the pandemic has really changed the way I process life, and though I had to endure so much, and I’m grateful. It reassured me that I stronger than I thought I was, and that not only gave me the confidence I needed, but it allowed me to be more open with myself. 

Emma East

The first memory I have of the pandemic affecting me was on March 13 during my Track practice. The coaches sat us down and told us we’d be gone for two weeks. My first initial reaction was excitement. I was so excited to miss two weeks of school. That excitement soon turned into misery.  

During those first two weeks, I enjoyed staying at home. I talked to my friends on my phone constantly, played with my animals and went on runs outside. I had so many things to fill my time with.  

Toward the end of the two weeks, we got the email that we would be virtual for the rest of the school year. That is when it set in: the pandemic was real, and I was being affected.  

My virtual days were filled with laying in my bed and doing my school work. I got into a cycle of doing the same thing every day, with no change. 

 At first, I hated it but then I got used to it and didn’t mind. Those virtual days became my new normal. The rest of the school year was a blur. 

In the summer of 2020, Cross Country practices started. I was so excited to get back to normal. I remember having to wait in line to get my temperature checked. Staying away from people wasn’t hard. I was just excited to be able to talk to people normally again.  

Now my life is back to how it use to be. I go to school every day and go to practice right after. No more wearing masks or staying socially distanced. 

 Carly Neidig

The first memory I have of the pandemic affecting me was on March 13 during my Track practice. The coaches sat us down and told us we’d be gone for two weeks. My first initial reaction was excitement. I was so excited to miss two weeks of school. That excitement soon turned into misery.  

During those first two weeks, I enjoyed staying at home. I talked to my friends on my phone constantly, played with my animals and went on runs outside. I had so many things to fill my time with.  

Toward the end of the two weeks, we got the email that we would be virtual for the rest of the school year. That is when it set in: the pandemic was real, and I was being affected.  

My virtual days were filled with laying in my bed and doing my school work. I got into a cycle of doing the same thing every day, with no change. 

 At first, I hated it but then I got used to it and didn’t mind. Those virtual days became my new normal. The rest of the school year was a blur. 

In the summer of 2020, Cross Country practices started. I was so excited to get back to normal. I remember having to wait in line to get my temperature checked. Staying away from people wasn’t hard. I was just excited to be able to talk to people normally again.  

Now my life is back to how it use to be. I go to school every day and go to practice right after. No more wearing masks or staying socially distanced.