3/25/20 Laura Fan

3/25/20

Laura Fan

Period 5

Blogger #6

What is it like working from home?

So far, remote learning has given me a lot more free time than I usually would have, because there are only three periods per day, and 45-minute breaks in between them. I've also enjoyed starting school at 9, so I have more time to sleep in the morning, and don't have to commute. Since we have 75 minutes for each class, I've been able to go my own pace for classes for those that I struggle more in, like physics. Other times, I find it difficult to focus, especially while I watch any videos teachers are uploading now. Usually, I try to get through the lessons in the 75 minutes, and then work through my homework and talk to friends during the breaks. A lot of the teachers are doing things differently from each other, as well. While some of them require us to join a zoom session to go through the slides with the class, others will post work that is due with instructions, and are available on zoom or classroom for questions. 

Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now

I still remember when coronavirus was first discovered months ago, when I assumed it would pass soon. Of course, it sounded horrible- mass lockdown in Wuhan, and the rush to build a 1,000-bed hospital in just ten days (https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-china-51348299/time-lapse-shows-wuhan-hospital-built-in-10-days is a timelapse of it being built).

But now, our country has the most cases, and our city is "on pause." Yesterday, I was reading through this article that shows the timeline of the virus' development (https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-timeline.html) and it's really escalated so quickly.

My family's been very worried about someone nearby contracting the virus, so we've kept ourselves at home. We also have my cousin staying with us until it becomes safe outside. She lived in China, but came to the US for high school and college, so she was in her California dorm until everyone started leaving. Her family is worried that she wouldn't be allowed to return if she flew home to Shanghai, so she flew here, and is being separated from us for the next two weeks.

What are you learning about your world/community based on the reactions?

While most of the world understands that this virus doesn't discriminate based on race, I've felt horrible about the racism surrounding Asian-Americans recently. On the 24th, President Trump finally agreed to stop using the term "Chinese virus" to describe COVID-19, after denying that it was racist (https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/24/politics/donald-trump-pull-back-coronavirus-chinese-virus/index.html). There has also been frequent reports of unprompted verbal and physical attacks on Asian-Americans throughout the country. Although we would think blatant racism would be almost nonexistent now, especially in a country that emphasizes its freedom and equality for all, this pandemic has really shown how far we still are from this. 

I've also realized how susceptible we are to public panic, with the news reporting on grocery shortages and toilet paper hoarders. Never would I have thought shelves would be so empty, and it's given the opportunity for hoarders to profit. There was a man who bought out stores in nearby states of sanitizing supplies, and tried to sell them after he marked up prices (selling bottles of hand sanitizer for up to$70!) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/technology/coronavirus-purell-wipes-amazon-sellers.html 

Overall, coronavirus has really exposed a lot of problems our society still struggles with, and how fragile our major industries are. Our world has gotten so connected, it has been shocking watching all of the developments.