4/13/20 Bobby Geroulanos Pd 2

Modern Mythology 2020

Bobby Geroulanos Period 2

04/13/2020

Blogger #14

What is it like working from home?

Shifting to remote-learning has been a dramatic change for everyone. Personally, I feel working from home has a lot of positives and negatives. The main benefit of staying home for me is the increase in free time I now have. Generally, classes give students a week to complete assignments which is the main reason for this. I find the workload to be very manageable, especially with the amount of time given to work on it. I am able to choose when I want to complete assignments, and I feel that I can balance work and leisure much better now. Working from home also benefits my sleep. I can wake up later than usual and enjoy breakfast since my “school day” starts much later than usual. Remote-learning learning does have some drawbacks, however. Not being in a physical classroom can affect how much you really learn. I find that classmates help me learn better in some of my classes, and not having them there to discuss the lessons can occasionally be a challenge. 

What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?

Currently, New York State has more Coronavirus cases than any other state, at 189,415 cases. While deaths from COVID-19 continue to rise in New York, the rate of hospitalizations has flattened. According to Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York has reached the apex of this pandemic, as the number of cases has started to drop. The mayor of New York City Bill De Blasio has announced schools will remain closed for the rest of the year, yet governor Cuomo says he will decide if that will happen. 

On a national level, cities such as Philadelphia, Boston, and New Orleans, are now facing a rise in cases. It is possible that they will become the new epicenters of this pandemic. A CDC study has shown that the virus can be transmitted from 13 feet away, which is more than double the distance previously thought. It’s also been discovered that the virus can live on shoes for up to 5 days. 

Europe is slowly starting to reopen after becoming the epicenter of the virus. Italy was one of Europe’s hardest-hit countries, however, it is now recording it’s lowest daily death rate since March. Spain, another country that suffered badly from this virus, is starting to reopen its economy. Thousands of factory workers and construction workers returned to work today, yet most of the country is still in lockdown. In Britain, Boris Johnson has been discharged from the hospital after contracting the coronavirus earlier. He has now tested negative for the virus thankfully. 

My own personal thoughts and feelings on what’s happening now

    It’s surprising how we’ve seen such drastic changes in society in a short period of time. Schools have closed, I have barely been outside, and I haven’t seen my friends in what feels like a very long time. We are all waiting for the day this is over, but for now I try to look at the positives of being home. One example is being with our families. I feel staying home makes us closer to them. For me, I play board games, watch TV, and hang out with my brothers, and I think it’s helped us bond and keep our minds off of being stuck home. I also think that keeping in contact with friends is another important way to stay happy. While we can’t do what we normally are able to, making a FaceTime call to my friends can be really great for you socially. It really is shocking that we are in this situation right now. Yet, I believe the only way to really get through it is to stay positive, and socialize as much as possible, through safe means. With regards to the pandemic, I feel optimistic with some of the news that has been coming out. New York has finally reached it apex, which means hopefully, the worst is over in this state. That is great to hear, and hopefully this pandemic ends as soon as possible. Yet it’s also extremely important that we continue our social distancing to continue the decline in cases. The more we follow the guidelines and stay home, the faster we can be back outside.