Who would have ever thought that this was going to happen... One day we were all out and about, and the other everyone was self-quarantined and distanced. In my opinion, having the remainder of the spring semester online was both good and bad. Good in the sense that it was more efficient, and I could sleep more- but bad in how the joy of having face-to-face discussions was lost. 

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     Nevertheless, after pushing through and getting the semester over with, I was now faced with a long, self-oriented summer vacation. Even though I was lost in the beginning, I realized that this pandemic was arguably one of the best things that happened to me throughout my lifetime. It was during the quarantine and away from everyone that I started reassessing myself. Who am I? What am I doing? What are my goals in life? I began to rediscover my personality during this void period. I was able to see the influence the environment and my friends had over me and how they impacted my religious, political, and societal beliefs. I started to understand the value of time and how I wasted it before the pandemic.

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    It has been over three months since the quarantine started, and I am still discovering more about myself each day. Yes, I do miss going out for late-night drives to chill and enjoy the ride as well as hanging out with my friends and family, but to be completely frank, deep down in the crevices of my mind and heart, I know I am going to miss these so-called 'challenging' times. To me, COVID-19 is a rehabilitation period giving the opportunity to humans to reevaluate their lives. 

 

 

by Mohammed Abdul Salam

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