Here to talk about the issues
PHOTO ESSAY AND REFLECTION
August 28, 2020
My new dorm room on UMD's campus. It's built for two, but I'm the only one in it. It was weird and lonely being the only one around.
September 5, 2020
My first week of notes in my public policy class, where I realized that I was going to have to make a schedule to keep myself on track. Note taking never got less strenuous or important.
October 10, 2020
My family visited me on campus, and I wasn't a big fan of walking around. This picture captures my discomfort. This photo was taken at McKeldin Mall. Pictured left from right is me, my sister, and my mom.
November 3, 2020
It was Election night in America. I watched the festivities on T.V. with some other students from my building. This photo is a snapshot of what was on the T.V.
November 24, 2020
I took this photo the night before leaving campus. I wanted to reflect on my dorm room that had become my new home. After three months, the only *people* I allowed in my room were these guys. It was incredibly lonely. Pictured from left to right is Archie, D-O, and Lord Shaxx. Their respective properties have caused me immense pain.
November 25, 2020
This is a photo of my house. It was taken the morning I came home. Everything seemed so much smaller after being on a college campus, but it was a relief to be in a familiar environment after such a long time.
2020 REFLECTION
2020 has been a bizarre year to be a college student. I never imagined I would be holed-up in my room 24/7 afraid of catching a virus. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. My dorm room had no roommate; it was just me. That was depressing, especially since I didn’t really know anyone on campus. I quickly had to get used to the fact that I was in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. That was my reality on campus during Covid-19. After getting through the initial pains, I had to focus on schoolwork. I was sort of stopped in my tracks. I had way more readings and assignments to do on my own time, with no physical classroom to interact with. I ended up making a lot of schedules throughout the semester, as well as filling up a lot of stationary with granite and ink. However, it was really great to have a set of tasks to do each week after the lull coronavirus caused in my education and life. It went like this for over a month. I just stayed in my room and worked, only really going outside to get food or going to my one in-person class. Eventually, my family forced their way onto campus to see me. In early October, they came to visit me on campus. I ended up walking around campus with them, and while it was probably good for my mental health, I still was on edge due to the virus. After that, I never met up with anyone again. The main way I focused my time was discussing current events with other students during my classes. It was very relaxing to be able to talk about my thoughts with other students, however briefly. I rarely did this in person. Even as more and more of the campus opened up – buildings, rooms, and even the sports teams – I still kept to myself. Honestly, the only time I really opened up to anyone was on Election night. I went out and watched the election results come in with some peers on my floor. I had a lot of fun that night. The election wasn’t fun though; I stayed up all night thinking about it. Thankfully, most of my classes cut back on work during election week. I was lucky to have classes like Media Scholars to discuss my thoughts. Media Scholars also helped me cultivate my digital literacy skills, which came in handy as I watched the media blitz for the next month. Soon enough, Thanksgiving neared, as did Covid-19. Old restrictions, like one person per room, came back. UMD issued a rule saying that if you went home for Thanksgiving, you had to stay home. It was a smart rule. I went home, without really making any friends during the whole semester. Maybe that is how it was going to happen without Covid-19, but I can’t help but think I was missing what really made college special.