4/8/20 Diego Coello PD 7

April 8th, 2020

Modern Mythology 2020

Diego Coello - Period 7

Currently, in Modern Mythology, we are reading the book “Interview with the Vampire”

by Anne Rice. Being a person that never really found an interesting for vampires, this

book shed some light on the world of vampires and how interesting they can really be.

The story in the book is told through the vampire’s point of view (the book is in the third

person point of view but the vampire is speaking and telling his story for most of it),

and ever since we started reading Grendel, the enemy of a mythical warrior named

Beowulf, I have been fascinated to see what these types of books have to offer. When

the story is being told by the character that is usually perceived as the enemy or the

antagonist, some unexpected discoveries can be made. The character may, at times,

have their “evil” actions justified, or maybe it may switch the roles of antagonist and

protagonist, or something completely different. Personally, I enjoy books that have a

sense of adventure and self-discovery, which is why I think “Interview with the Vampire”

is a great book that makes me just want to keep reading.

What is it like working from home? Well, I think this new way of learning is a good way to continue education for students. Using video conferencing apps and other online resources, students and teachers are still able to communicate with each other and get work done. Working from home feels a little better in terms of having a more flexible schedule for when to do schoolwork, but at the same time, it is very difficult to not get distracted at least once in a while due to the constant option of going on the Internet and searching up something else to watch or do for the moment. While teachers do have video conferencing apps at their disposal to teach lessons, they are not able to teach for as long as they did at school, so it does feel like the students have to do a little more of self-studying. Personally, I miss school a lot. Being able to learn and communicate with peers directly is a key aspect of a good education, and while remote learning has done its best to keep cooperation between students, nothing replaces the real thing. Just the fact of seeing friends and doing after school activities reminds me of how much school really means to me. Even the daily rides on the crowded bus come to my appreciation. Overall, however, I think that in terms of education, we have done a very good job transitioning to this new system.

Personally, this situation with the coronavirus I feel brings many things to the table that many people may not consider amidst all the chaos and panic that many may feel. There are people getting sick and unfortunately dying, but among these things, it never hurts to look at the positive side. While being in self-quarantine, I have been able to find more time to do some of the things I enjoy doing, that I usually barely have time to do with the rigorous workload from SI Tech. However, that is not to say that I do not miss school, as I mentioned above, but it is nice to perhaps pick up some things that you might have not continued due to school. One thing that really makes me sad, and is probably the same for other seniors, is that it is our last year of high school and there exists a possibility that we won’t see each other again. I hope this is not the case, because personally, I think I have made my closest friends in SI Tech.

Compared to others, I think that staying at home does not really bother me much because I always feel comfortable there and I don’t mind as much. But I can definitely understand why others feel and urge to go back outside. I find it amazing how connected people become in tough times, for example, the clapping of people around the world to celebrate the work being done by many medical and sanitary workers, as well as those of necessary fields. Despite the danger of the disease spreading, there are still people that seem to not care about adhering to self-quarantine or other preventive measures for the spread of the disease (to which I say, “Please, it is better to be safe than sorry so stay home and avoid being outside for no purpose!”). On a more reflective note, I always think about why it is that humans seem to wait for bad times to fall upon for us to start supporting each other. It would be nice if the world kept the amount of kindness that we show in these times throughout our whole lives, and not just for this moment. Humans are social creatures by nature, and we all have a common goal in life which is happiness, giving us all the reason to support each other and reach that goal together.

On that note, I would like to wish everyone good health! And please, if we all follow the advice on preventive measures, we can make this pandemic end sooner, which means fewer people will have to suffer. I find it shameful that the United States, being a country that is very advanced and that knew about the situation of the virus before the first case was detected in the country, has taken the spot as the country with the most cases, and by more than triple the number of cases of the country in second place. It all points to a need for more cooperation of its citizens, so come on, let’s do this! I wish that everyone be safe and well and to look at the positive sides of the current situation, not just now but throughout life.