Thoughts from Quarantine: Socially Isolated

This is “Thoughts from Quarantine,” a weekly series in which three of our editors will answer a variation of this simple question: “How are you feeling?” This week’s prompt is, “How are you feeling about being apart from your Oxford friends/significant others during self-quarantine?"

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Rebecca Wolff, Opinion Editor:

PETALUMA, Calif. — My friend Tom called me yesterday to tell me about a cool lawnmower he saw. This is my life now.

I call friends to tell them about a cool breakfast I made, and they call me to introduce me to the concept of robotic self-driving lawn mowers – which are sick by the way.

I live in California, so for the last month I’ve been balancing two time zones. All of my 10:05 a.m. classes now have a 7:05 start time, and before you ask, yes, it totally sucks. My new sleep schedule is waking up by 7 a.m. and going to bed by 11 p.m. – like a loser.

Those late night calls I used to have with my friends now have to happen at no later than 8:30 for me, when it’s still kind of light outside. It’s not the vibe.

The fact that I won’t be reunited with their stupid cute faces until August is also, in no way shape or form, the vibe.

I miss being able to blow them off, knowing I could just see them tomorrow.

Now – I don’t miss a single Facetime call. I scroll through Snapchat memories daily, starved for footage of friends acting ridiculous.

Even though we’re operating on different clocks, for me and all my friends, it’s always real sad boy hours.

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Lukas Nelson, Sports Editor:

BREWSTER, Ohio — On Tuesday, March 10, our lives changed drastically: all face-to-face instruction would be suspended until April 12.

Under normal circumstances, “no class” is usually music to a college student’s ears. However, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread. I had a feeling that when I left for spring break, I wouldn’t be coming back.

This stung.

I wish I could be back on campus right now, hanging out with my friends, studying with them, going to Pulley in the middle of the night with them. Now, I’ll have to wait until the fall to do all those things.

Still, in a way, I was excited to return home. I don’t get to see my friends from home as often as I want, so being able to see them for an extended period of time sounded like a great opportunity.

But with cases of the novel coronavirus popping up in Stark County, it became clear that hanging out with people outside of the household was no longer an option.

So here I am, a mere 10-minute car ride from my friends, not able to see a single one of them.

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Jenna Calderón, Asst. Culture Editor:

WADSWORTH, Ohio — I lie in bed, my phone on my chest and my eyes closed. It’s almost 3 a.m. on a Sunday, but I’m trying to keep myself awake.

I’m waiting for my phone to buzz with responses from my boyfriend, a group chat of high school friends and Snapchats from a classmate I met this semester. Since coming home, these early hours are sometimes the only time I get to talk to people.

At school, being social was easy. I lived in a dorm with one of my best friends and right down the hall from the rest of the friend group. Being in class forced me to interact, even when I dreaded going. No matter where I was, I was always with someone else ― studying, hanging out, grabbing food, whatever.

Now, I spend most of my time alone or with my little sister, both of us glued to our laptops, doing homework in the living room.

When I get the chance, I check Snapchat memories to remind myself what my friends and I did a year ago today.

I can’t help but think how empty the memories will look a year from now.

wolffrg@miamioh.edu

@LukasTheDream

nelso156@miamioh.edu

calderjm@miamioh.edu