Each week a different member of the Hebrew Academy community will share their daily life, thoughts and feelings about what it's like living in quarantine and the unprecedented pandemic sweeping the world.
By: Naomi Ohana (10th Grade)
Before quarantine I spent the average day consumed with school, work, sports, and participating in various organizations, but I always felt like I never had enough time to get it all done. I claimed that if I ever had the opportunity I would spend my time trying to better myself as a person- maybe learning a new language or reading an extensive amount of novels. However, now that I am forced to be home with all of the time in the world, I am constantly wishing to go back to my old life, despite the stress. Having an extensive amount of free time can be extremely overwhelming, but I have tried to fill my days with new and interesting activities.
At the beginning of quarantine I decided to train for a half marathon, which did not end well. I forced myself to run at least three miles every day. This allowed me to maintain some sort of sanity, and ensured that I did not spend my entire day locked inside. Unfortunately, I injured my foot, ending my worthy endeavor. Being forced to stumble around on crutches placed a tremendous amount of strain on my motivation. Hobbling around on crutches turned a basic task into a struggle. Instead of sitting at home watching an insane amount of Netflix, I chose to practice driving, spending an insane amount of time staring at empty roads.
However, quarantine has also allowed me to discover what my true passions are. I have rearranged my entire room at least three times- painting on all walls and subsequently my floors, organizing my closet and drawers, and ridding myself of all unnecessary items. I have made more variations of chocolate chip cookies and reperfected my perfect brownie recipe.
All of this free time has allowed me to become closer to my family. For the first time in three years all of my siblings and I are once again living under one roof. Although I am getting way more than I asked for, eating enough family meals to last a lifetime, I am extremely grateful for the time I am given with them.
Overall, I feel that this quarantine is more of a blessing than a curse. Although life is slowly going back to normal, it still feels as if I am living in some strange time warp. This experience has allowed me to be more appreciative of my freedom, safety, health, and family. Nevertheless, I never want to experience another global pandemic again.