Column: A day in the life of quarantine

Growing up in sunny Los Angeles, almost every morning commences with a glance at the luminous rays of sunshine traveling into my room through the shades draped across my window.

Prior to embarking on my daily drive to school, I always first take a moment to gaze up into the bright, forget-me-not blue, cloudless sky. The warm weather always puts me in an exceptional mood. My excitement for another day at school consistently seems to be as high as the palm trees lined along Ocean Avenue. Although, recently this has not been the case.

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly spread across the globe. There are 11,317 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Friday, according to the L.A. Times.

Due to the severity of this virus, school campuses have closed and everyone is self-quarantining. This is clearly the sensible thing to do in order to ensure as many people as possible stay healthy. However, I can confidently say that I am still getting used to this abrupt shift in events.

My daily ritual of enjoying the sunlight on my journey to school has been put on pause. We are now participating in online school through Zoom, a platform that allows students to video conference with their teachers and classmates.

My backpack, which is usually abnormally heavy, filled to the very brim with my binders, books, and even favorite highlighters, has now been left untouched. My most exhilarating outing of the week is when I am given the task of walking my dogs around the block of our neighborhood, steering clear of people at all costs.

Although, I have taken this opportunity to read more books, spend more time with my family, practice improving my art skills, and most importantly, stay at home.