Recession of Joy

3/11/20

The date in which Chapman announced that classes would be moving online for some time unknown.

At first, initial happiness struck most students, as cheers were heard on campus. Most likely people were all thinking the same thing: all the possibilities that online classes would offer. However, as the hours and days passed, reality hit us all: Our semester was over.

Students began moving back home in groups, some on the day of, and the rest throughout the week. Tears shed as friends began to say their goodbyes to one another. As the days progressed, reality began hitting me. The fact that I would have to leave my newfound home so preemptively, the fact that I would have to leave my newfound friends, the fact that there are so many undiscovered memories that can’t be made anymore, I, alongside many students, felt robbed of our freshman year.

3/14/20

The date in which I returned to my initial home.

Nothing felt the same anymore. Business shutting down, being unable to leave our homes to practice self-isolation and self-quarantine, it felt like a pre-apocalyptic setting, with such little in life going on. Only a couple days may have passed by, but it feels like months. Having my freedom stripped away from me, forced to live with my parents once again, and no matter how much I love them, I can only tolerate their rules for so long. Wasting my teenage years doing nothing inside of my home feels like such a punishment, although I haven’t done anything wrong.

One of my main worries with COVID-19 is that it affects the elderly, and both my parents being 50+, I am more concerned for their health and well-being, so although home may be boring, it does help them stay safer. Going outside in general is something I believe I thought was something I never thought I’d be unable to do.

3/20/20

The day in which I am writing this post.

Reflecting on my college experience thus far, there are many regrets I have, things I wished I would’ve done, things I wished I didn’t. More importantly, I realized I’ve taken these memories for granted and never appreciated them in the moment, thinking there were more to come. My condolences to both high-school and college seniors, as their last year at school as been cut short, alongside seniors who played spring sports.

Although this year has been short, and goodbyes were said, I’m positive that it won’t be too long until the next hello. As we say, CU soon!

7 thoughts on “Recession of Joy

  1. Hi Jinu! This post broke my heart! It is such a bummer to go through these things. My sister is a high school senior and everything has been canceled for her. I really like how your entries follow a diary format and I think this would be great in a longform! Keep up the great work I love reading your posts!

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  2. I really enjoyed the way you chose to structure this piece. I completely agree with all the emotions you felt from the time Chapman announced online classes til now. I like how you ended this post in a positive way. Great post! Take care and stay safe!

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  3. Hey Jinu, I really like how you segmented this piece to tell a story over the period of multiple days. It really alludes to how sporadic and spontaneous everyday in the past couple weeks has felt. I also really relate to taking things in college for granted. You don’t know what you got until you’re stuck at home until August. Good post.

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  4. I think it is interesting how you decided to organize this post. I agree that it feels pre-apocalyptic, and that I had never thought of not being able to go outside. The chaos of those first few days that campus began to shut down were very surreal. The saying CU soon fits well here!

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  5. Hey Jinu,
    I really appreciated your blog post. I liked the layout of your post, as it reminded me of the days when I kept a journal, starting each entry with the date. I also agree with you that this is something I never could have expected, being unable to leave my home, it really puts life’s priorities in order. I hope for health and happiness for you and your family during this time! Many more exciting memories to come for you at Chapman.

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  6. Jinu this post was so well done. The way you formatted it with the dates and the emotions tied to each entry. I really appreciated the vulnerability you had when you talked about being home with your family. I am going through something similar in the way that I can’t handle being at home for many reasons. You will have so much more time to make amazing memories and I hope this comes as a realization to us all that we shouldn’t take opportunities in this life for granted.

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  7. Hi Junu, I really related and appreciated this post. It is definitely also a very chaotic time for me also. It is super sad hearing your story of saying bye to friends and moving back home with nothing to do. I can also relate to how slow time is passing by. It is a hard time for everyone. I wish you the best!

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