Pranay, Week 16: My Memories From Covid-19

It is often in the most stressful situations that I find my mind away. I go from thinking about my upcoming AP tests and the loads of studying I have left to do to the most insignificant details of my life. Only, they are not. It is in these times I have the greatest revelations and I do not know why. Tonight, this is exactly what happened.


image from the World Health Organization
Throughout my life, I have been surrounded by a wide variety of people, and it is something I am eternally grateful for. As an Indian American in the Bay Area, I’ve been able to experience the diversity America has to offer while not feeling like the diversity myself. Still, I genuinely feel I have been unable to establish a true connection with any one of them. I didn't really notice this issue until the emergence of COVID-19. One day, I was at school with my friends, eating lunch and discussing the latest basketball game and the next, I was locked in my own home. At first, I didn’t mind it. My whole life, I’ve enjoyed solitude and the quiet that comes with it. But soon, I realized it had gotten too quiet. My phone buzzed less and less and the silence became deafening. Sure, I had my parents and little sister as company but at the developing and rash age of thirteen, I felt confused and frustrated trying to voice my concerns to them.


This period of time drastically changed my perception on friendship. I came to think that friendships did not need to be constant, that they would always be easy to pick up where we left off. Looking back at it now, I could not have been more wrong. Friendships are built and maintained through constant contact, at least for me. If I am not constantly reached out to by my friends or reaching out to my friends, I suddenly begin feeling lonely even though I’m not alone. And it is my memories from Covid-19 that help me remember this about myself and make sure I never forget it.


Comments

  1. Ethan NguyenMay 21, 2024 at 10:57 PM

    Hi, Pranay. I cannot help but feel the same way as you. It is always in the strangest or even the most mundane of situations a Eureka! moment occurs. It is these “shower thoughts” that truly get me to think philosophically when my thoughts are going everywhere. In addition, the emotions you used in the blog and the vivid imagery like in the phrase “the silence became deafening” truly encapsulate the feelings that students during the COVID-19 lockdown. I hope that you are having the true experience of friendship that you seek.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Danial HashemiMay 24, 2024 at 12:07 PM

    Hey Pranay,
    I completely relate to the start of your blog, especially with feeling stressed about upcoming tests. After taking these tests I always feel a mix of relief and regret that I could have applied myself better or studied a specific topic on the test more to feel more confident about my performance.
    While I am not Indian American, I can relate to the diversity you have experienced within the Bay Area, and the silent sounds you faced during quarantine. I lacked friends I could talk to during quarantine as well so I grew closer with my parents during the time. While it helped with the loneliness, I still missed having friends my age since I was an only child and was unable to talk to anyone.
    I agree with your view on friendship. Sometimes, I do not talk to my closest friends for more than a week but I still remain friends with them because our relationship can withstand not seeing each other for more than a few days. Communication, in my opinion, is not a necessity to maintain friendships. Thank you for writing this blog!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Via GonzalesMay 24, 2024 at 7:43 PM

    Hi Pranay, I truly resonate with your blog on a deep level. COVID-19 was a lonely period, and a lot of us became disconnected from the world. Similarly to you, I enjoyed the solitude and quiet that came with COVID-19, I could relax at home and be in my pajamas all day. It felt great to be able to have so much alone time, however, after a while of being quarantined, I got scared. I was scared of being alone forever, and I feared that I wouldn't be able to experience high school. COVID-19 made me realize who were and weren't my real friends. Some wouldn't contact me, but the genuine ones would. COVID-19 also changed my perception of friendship, however, it is a reversed perception of yours: now I believe that friendships don't need to be consistent. I believe that friendships should depend on one thing: effort. While a friend doesn't need to consistently talk to you to be considered a friend, it is important to put effort into the friendship. By effort, I mean checking on each other every once in a while or being able to support them when they need you. Of course, every person has their preference, and that's okay! I was interested in your blog, Pranay!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jiya Week 9: Influences of Wealth

Image
  Picture from google  “With great power comes great responsibility,” said Uncle Ben to Peter Parker. I agree with that statement.  This powerful statement emphasizes everyone should use their power wisely. This statement is not only applicable to superheroes but also to our daily lives, as power can manifest in various forms.  A person can easily misuse their power and become corrupt. Power in the wrong hands of a person can lead to many destructive outputs. But if power is used for a good cause it can be beneficial to everyone. Spiderman used his powers to save New York from many bad guys and similarly, many people in our community have used their power to contribute positively to society. Philanthropists such as Warren Buffet and Bill Gates used their wealth to help out in the community. Warren Buffett used his money to help multiple charities and donated “more than $46 billion to charities”.   Bill Gates started his charity, the Bill and Melinda Foundation , which is focused on giv
Read more

Danial, Week 9: The Growth of Technological Power

Image
Since the start of the digital age in 2002, human life has been vastly altered through the creation of the internet and other massive technological creations. I can’t even remember the last time I was doing homework without simultaneously listening to music. Humanity has become immensely empowered through numerous technological advancements. For instance, individuals can access vast amounts of information through a simple google search, a tool unavailable to individuals before the 1980s , eliminating the need for traveling to a store to purchase a book with the answer. A massive benefit technology has is empowering individuals through communication. In the past, individuals were forced to communicate through letters which took up long amounts of time to reach the recipient. With the invention of the telegraph, people can communicate with long distance relatives significantly impacting their mental health. So if technology provides us all these benefits, how would society survive witho
Read more

Jiya Week 11: Spilling the tea, spreading the rumors.

Image
Picture Gossip is like wildfire—spreads rapidly and with power.  The person sharing it feels powerful, and if it gets out, others feel powerful too. Gossip makes people feel strong because they think they know something others don't have knowledge about.  Gossip is everywhere, I am sure there is someone right now telling their friends “Spill the tea.” The reason for knowing the “tea” is to feel powerful. Let's not deny we have all wanted to know about the gossip in the school and ask yourself why you want to know about the gossip, especially if it's not about you. Do you care about the person or just want to hold the knowledge that others don't?  I just want to know something many are unaware of. Everyone wants to know who is dating whom, who broke up yesterday, who got drunk on a beach, who got suspended from school, who is getting fired, who got into a fight, etc. Everyone wants to know everything about people's lives just to feel gossip's power.   And of cour
Read more