Meet Haruka, New Jersey (USA)
The title of that new page of the history textbook, “2020 A Worldwide Crisis: COVID 19”, might not change. However, I believe that we can still change what story will be written under that.
We are facing a worldwide pandemic right now, and I am living in the country with the most cases, and deaths from the COVID-19, aka the Coronavirus. Furthermore, I am living near the city which records the highest number of cases confirmed: New York. Our county has officially decided to close schools and carry on remote learning for the rest of the school year. This took away opportunities of students to reunite with friends until summer, or even worse, beginning of the next school year. I hope this letter will raise awareness about the situation we face in our community.
I live near the town’s hospital where every week, the police and the fire department comes to honk and appreciate the medical workers. Workers inside that building are risking their lives every day to fight this situation. Knowing people who work in the medical field, I know that they are doing everything they can to save not only patients with the virus but also patients who have less accessibility to the treatment of their own health because of the lack of resources. Actually hearing the sirens/honks and seeing such actions taking place, it teaches me how serious the problem is. It also highlights the importance of people staying in their homes. Staying home is one of the most effective ways to make a contribution. I encourage people to play their own part for your own community and the entire world. Every person in the world should consider this seriously. During this quarantine, I had an opportunity to reconnect with my old friends from when I used to live in Japan. They spoke that they are facing similar situations as where I live. Although they have far fewer cases and deaths, depending on how each of them behaves, the number might rise. Therefore, thinking of your own action is very important anywhere in the world.
Currently, I am a junior in high school. Junior year is thought to be one of the most important years in high school since college applications and other future decisions start to take place. Personally, it is very stressful to experience this pandemic this year. Standardized Testing has been canceled and other tests have been transformed into online testing. These changes have influenced me greatly. Therefore, during this time, I wish for more support academically. Although our school teachers are doing their best to make their daily online classes as useful as regular classes, there are still gaps between them that can’t be filled. As if it’s responding to my wish, some colleges are now changing their requirements for applications to alleviate the stress for the high-school students. This is very helpful but having the resource to be aware of these changes will be even more helpful.
This worldwide pandemic has become one of the rarest experiences of my life, and will possibly remain the rarest in the future. As my parents said, we are experiencing something that only certain people from this particular period can experience. In the near future, we will become history. The title of that new page of the history textbook, “2020 A Worldwide Crisis: COVID 19”, might not change. However, I believe that we can still change what story will be written under that. I think life is a matter of how you react to the events that arise in front of you. I am truly appreciating everyone responding strongly to this situation and making a change. I am also hoping that soon, I will be able to meet my friends again.