Nichola Monroe,17, Boarding School Student (LA),
Switzerland
With ONE word, how do you hope to come out of this quarantine?
"Ready"
What was the effect of COVID-19 on your routine?
"As of now, 7 weeks have past since I had to move out of school. But it’s been stressful with homeschooling, since I’m staying in a house with 8 other people/kids and don’t have any quiet space for myself."
What is one realization you’ve had about yourself or the world?
"Because of the pandemic, being at home and having online school as well as not being able to go out without precautions has made me realize that I have some anxiety, not just regular stress."
What works and doesn’t work while in quarantine? (open-ended)
"Getting myself to exercise hasn’t really been working so well. I mostly just take the dog for walks twice a day and go swimming about two times a week. It’s not working out though, just moving a little bit. In my free time I’ve enjoyed baking lots of bread and cooking occasionally. I’ve also gotten more into my bullet journaling, doing more doodles and stuff since i have time. I also have done a bunch of embroidery, i made two embroidered bags, and now I’ve started on some T-shirts. As far as work goes, I haven’t had to much trouble getting it done - i put it on my to-do list and then i force myself to do it by the end of the day. Essay writing has been extremely difficult though and I’m talking with some teachers about getting out of them because my critical thinking straight up isn’t working right now."
In what ways have you shown self-improvement?
"I’ve really enjoyed having freetime and getting to be creative. It’s not necessarily improvement, but spending time doing things I enjoy has been helpful."
If you had to give your “pre-quarantine” self a piece of advice, what would that be?
"Know your limits, admit when something is too hard, or just not reasonable, and work towards finding a different solution."