One year after the pandemic has really kicked in, I am used to most things. I remember to bring my mask everywhere. I carry around hand sanitizer. I keep my distance from people, etc. Even though the mask mandate was just dropped, I will definitely continue to wear it because there are many people who are vulnerable and have no choice but to go out and do things, and we should be keeping them and ourselves as safe as possible.

Coming to school feels normal, except that we have to wear a mask all the time. It isn’t that bad, really. It’s still school- we still have to get up early, get dressed, come in and do work, then leave. Going to the store is also pretty much the same, except for the masks and everything.

One thing that feels different, though, is my home life. I have to spend a lot more time with my family than I ever have. It’s not that I don’t love them. They are just extremely loud and hard to deal with. Especially my two little brothers. We used to take them to the park a lot to let them run around and get energy out, but we can’t even do that now. It also makes it hard since my grandmother is older and very vulnerable. We can’t really go anywhere, now more than ever.

I live with my younger brother who has asthma and my grandmother with underlying health conditions who hasn’t been able to get the vaccine yet. When I come to school, I’m scared about contracting it and bringing it back home to them, especially because some don’t always follow protocols are here, and there are frequent cases.

I believe that as long as we all stay home and wear masks and social distance when we have to go out, cases of the virus will slowly decrease. Especially when the vaccine becomes more accessible, there will be more of a chance of the virus subsiding.