Dear Melissa,
I hope you are doing well! I’m writing to you from the past when the historically famous coronavirus took over the world and put all of our lives to a halt without any compromise. This pandemic crisis certainly has thrown my senior year completely off track, but I have also learned a lot of valuable lessons along the way.
One of the lessons I’ve learned is from a guest speaker zoom call in my strength and performance class. The focus of the talk was on the concept of “E + R = O”. It stands for Events + Response = Outcome, which means that one can change the outcome of their situation or event based on how they choose to respond to it. One’s attitude, words, and actions are all important parts of their response to the event.
For instance, if I think to myself that this quarantine has ruined my long-awaited senior year and I’ll never get it back, then I would be wasting my time and energy thinking negative thoughts and getting nothing done about it. Instead, I should take this unexpected turn of my senior year as an opportunity for learning and growth. I’ve had more time to focus on hobbies such as baking and painting. I’ve also fulfilled some goals by watching shows I’ve always wanted to watch but never had the time to before.
Most importantly, I’ve been spending time with my parents and dog 24/7, which can get to be too much at times, but I may never have this opportunity again as I’m heading off to college in the fall and then starting my busy adulthood from thereon. To sum up what this lesson taught me in this strange time, it’s that I can change the outcome of this supposedly unfortunate quarantine by responding to it in a positive manner.
Another thing I learned while in quarantine was how blessed I am to have so many amazing friends. My 18th birthday was on April 22 and during the weeks leading up to it, I felt sad that I wouldn’t be able to go out and celebrate such an important birthday with the people most important to me. Little did I know, two very good friends of mine (shoutout to Nicole and Taylor!) had reached out to my friends from all the groups in my life, from school, airband, field hockey, badminton, a summer camp called TAF, and an overseas summer program called AID. They somehow tracked down 43 of my friends from all around the US, many that they’ve never met, through social media, and asked them to record short videos of them wishing me a happy birthday.
Then Nicole and Taylor used these clips to put together a 10-minute long video with their beautiful violin and piano playing in the background. Here’s how the surprise went down: Nicole showed up at my house to return my cake holder container, then texted me the video and recorded my reaction as I watched it. As I saw all of my friends’ faces and heard their voices as they spoke about their friendships with me or how they’ve missed me, the tears started rolling down my cheeks. I was so in shock because no one had ever done something this thoughtful for me before and I had expected my quarantine birthday to be uneventful. I’ve learned that true friends will go to great lengths to show that they care and that I am so fortunate to have those kinds of friends.
From a broader perspective of this quarantine time period, I have learned that the effects of the crisis have brought out both the best and worst of humankind. Based on what I’ve seen on social media and the news, there have been acts of discrimination against East Asians, riots outside hospitals threatening healthcare workers, and more. It’s appalling to see how people can exude such hatred for others in times when the world needs to come together to fight the pandemic.
However, there have also been displays of goodness such as the selfless doctors, nurses, and essential workers who risk their lives every day to serve people in need. There are also individuals and countries making generous contributions to help fund research for a cure, buy protective gear for those who can’t afford it, and financially aid those who have lost their jobs. It’s the extreme times like this when the true colors of humanity shine through, whether it’s beneficial or hurtful to the situation.
It feels strange to reflect on this crisis while it is still ongoing because it’s still far from over since a miraculous cure has not found yet. The year 2020 has been off to a rocky start with all that has occurred, from political tensions between the US and other countries to the tragic deaths of Kobe Bryant and his daughter to the coronavirus, with many more things that happened in between. This is not at all how I pictured my senior year to be, but it has also been a life-changing four months as I realize how short life can be. The deaths of Kobe and Gigi was a big shock to the world, as two beautiful lives were taken so suddenly. The deaths of over 270,000 people in the world from coronavirus have shown how easy it is to unknowingly become infected and die so quickly without being able to have your loved ones with you for safety reasons. In just a blink of an eye, I have grown from a little girl to a legal adult, started driving, and gotten into college. It’s scary to think about how easily a life can be taken away, both literally and in the sense of one’s daily routine.
But we must learn from every experience, believe that everything happens for a reason, and lean on each other for support. I can feel that we are a part of something way bigger than all of us, as this pandemic crisis will be remembered in history for longer than we will live. For now, all we can do is hope that our world will reach the light at the end of the tunnel faster and spread as much love and kindness as we can to others.
Sincerely,
Melissa Chiou