5/7/20 Leyao Yang Period 8

Leyao Yang 

5/7/20

Period 8 

Modern Mythology 2020

What is it like working from home?

As a person that likes to procrastinate, working from home hasn’t been much of a pleasant experience. Many of my teachers are working hard to organize online meetings and materials to post online, making learning at home more bearable. However, this whole remote learning gave us so much power over our time, deciding when to start or stop working, that it’s very difficult for people that lack self-control like me. I’m definitely learning more about time management as we go, but keeping the motivation to work at home became another challenge. 

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

This pandemic truly opened my eyes to how big and how different our world can be. We see essential workers and our medical staff working hard to combat the outbreak, but we also see constant hate crimes and racism towards Asians. With increasing numbers of protests to reopen our economy, we’re seeing the selfish and ignorant side of humanity. It was shocking to see the picture of city parks from a few days ago, closely gathered humans having picnics, sunbathing, vast majority without masks. Personally, I empathize with those that need the economy to open for money to survive, but to see those so privileged putting the wellbeing of everyone at risk for sheer entertainment was ridiculous. In addition, propaganda really showed us its power during this outbreak. Being exposed to both western and Asian media, I’m once again shocked at how different the reactions are. I think it’s quite interesting to see how this contrast reveals the different beliefs and culture that they have. 

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

The reality of our current situation is hitting harder than ever, yet it’s hard to believe due to how ridiculous this entire year has been. In the beginning, it was me that worried for my mother and my extended family in China, but now, it’s them that are worrying about us. Being quarantined really forced us to face our inner thoughts and emotions. I am so thankful that I’m privileged enough to be able to stay home without having to worry about food or money. 

With all the free time we now have, surfing through the media for an entire day became the norm. However, I don’t like to constantly check for updates because of how easily one can drown themselves into negativity. There’s not much we can do but stay at home and hope for the best. Therefore, I just take a quick peek everyday, and try to find something fun I can immerse myself into. But most importantly, I hope everyone is staying healthy and happy.