How do you view Covid 19 as a student?

Thank you for that beautiful question.

Although the world has slowed down, stress levels have begun to rise.

As the world began to slow down during quarantine, I was able to finally relax, watch
some shows, improve my cooking skills, and get more involved in my extracurricular
activities. There are many things for which I am grateful. I'm grateful for being able to
live in a pleasant home and for being able to spend more time with my family. This is
the first time in years that we've all been able to sit down and have meals together every
day. My parents were often at work and occasionally came home late when my brother
and I were little, so we didn't always have meals together. I recall my family remarking
about how lovely it was to finally have meals together at the beginning of the
quarantine, and my brother joking, "it only took a pandemic to bring us all together,"
which I laughed about at the time (but it's true).

We'll all be heading to different locations soon enough and we'll be divided once more.
So I'm grateful for my current living circumstances. In terms of my pals, even if we're
separated, I still feel like I can communicate with them via video chat—perhaps even
more so than previously. Many individuals, I believe, just have a bit more time for others
right now.

Despite the fact that there are still many things for which to be grateful, stress has
gradually taken over, and work has become overwhelming. I've always been someone
who likes attending to courses, doing more work than I need to, and staying active in
general. But lately, I've been feeling overwhelmed by the quantity of work I've been
given, to the point where my days have blended into online tasks and Google meetings,
with a dash of cooking new recipes and idle browsing on Youtube thrown in for good
measure.

Throughout the semester, I have both synchronous and asynchronous classes, each with
its own set of benefits and drawbacks. Initially, I believed that I wanted all of my classes
to be synchronous since I value the daily engagement with my professor and
classmates. However, after taking these asynchronous classes, I've found that watching a
lecture on my own time might be beneficial because it allows me to stop the video and
take extra notes. This has caused me to pay more attention in class and to notice minor
details that I may otherwise overlook. Furthermore, I recognize that synchronous classes
might be a hardship for people who are studying overseas and must get up in the
middle of the night to attend a session. I think it's particularly awful when instructors
want students to come but don't make it required for this reason; I find that most
students attend anyhow, fearful of missing out on something important.

However, I still think synchronous classrooms are fantastic, particularly for discussion-
based courses. I'm in touch with other students from my classes that I wouldn't normally
talk to or contact on a daily basis. Professors provide a lecture tape that I may refer to
whenever I want in both synchronous and asynchronous classes, which I find
advantageous. This was very useful as I was studying for my exams this semester; having
a video to refer to in case I missed something during a lecture is wonderful.

Overall, living during these times is vastly different from anything most of us have ever
known, and it may be overwhelming and frustrating at times—particularly in terms of
education for me. Online classes lack the same atmosphere and interactions as in-
person sessions and are significantly less engaging. But, at the end of the day, I know
that there is always something to be thankful for, and I am grateful for my current
circumstances. I'm slowly adjusting to the fact that the world has slowed down and my
stress level has increased.