People are going to hear and read a lot of testimonials on working at home, trying to get the kids to do their homework and the overall struggle that is being quarantined. Well, this one isn’t going to be much different except it is from the student perspective and I don’t have any kids, just three roommates that are struggling just as hard as I am.

Where to start…how about work. Now, for me, working from home is not that much different aside from having to conduct interviews through email and phone calls instead of in person. The only real struggle is keeping to a schedule but that is just what comes with getting lost in the monotonous passage of time that is quarantine. I’m one of the lucky students that had an on campus job that easily translates over to completely online.

My roommates however, are a different story. Two are waitresses that have been laid off because their restaurants either don’t have a drive thru or curbside service or shut down altogether. The other has struggled to find a job since they moved in a month ago due to the pandemic causing finding a job difficult. All three applied for unemployment and are frantically searching for jobs right now. Our landlord is being understanding with us about rent since he had to close his restaurant in wake of the virus and too is struggling with making an income.

Personally, I dislike taking online classes because I find it difficult to keep a schedule and hold myself accountable. Don’t get me wrong, I do the work and turn it in on time, it’s just finding the motivation that is difficult. I am the type of person who cannot do work at home because home has become my designated stress free zone where I can relax and don’t have to worry about anything. Public places, for some reason I have yet to understand, make me want to be productive so being confined at home is a struggle for me to find my motivation but I’m making it work.

As for my classes that still have lectures, we’re making it work. We can still have discussions which I like because another reason why I dislike online classes is that I am the type of learner that requires visual and auditory teaching in order to retain information. I can’t just read a chapter and be able to remember all of it for the test in two weeks no matter how much I reread it, I need a face to look at while they speak knowledge to me. The occasional glitch is also to be expected during lecture and the audio fritzing out during lecture is something we’re just going to have to work with.

As much as we like to make memes and joke about this situation because that is how we as a generation cope with stress and difficult times, but please remember those who are working hard to stop the spread of this virus and keep our grocery store shelves stocked despite all the panic buying. Wash your hands and stay at home. Go Buffs.