Peoples' Perspectives: COVID-19 In Whatcom County

11/10/2020

Dear History, This has been a very strange and difficult year. Before Covid, I considered myself an average high school student, not that there is such a thing, with okay grades, a sport, named after me and a small circle of friends. Around march of 2020, people were starting to worry. Covid had first been spotted in the us, and it was beginning to spread. A mouth later, and the schools were shut down. We all went home, expecting that we would come back in six weeks, and everything would be normal again. That didn’t happen. Two weeks into quarantine, and school was cancelled for another month, then two, and then school was canceled for the remainder of the year. My high school, Squalicum, tried to set up an online learning system but failed miserably. Only five out of thirty kids would show up to class, do the work, and participate. I believe that this was caused by there not being an incentive for showing up, as if you do 1 assignment you get an A, even if you just did one question and turned it in. After school had finished for the year, and the beginning of summer break started, everything got quiet. People were not allowed to see their friends, family, or neighbors. We could not go to the grocery store, or to the movie theater. We could not go camping, celebrate cousin’s birthday parties, or go to mass. but after two more months of waiting, things started to open again. Churches had smaller congregations, stores had a limited number of people that could shop, and movie theaters are now doing small audiences, but things started to re-open. It is different now, as people shy away from each other, wear masks, and other things, but it is starting to open up again. The most difficult thing for me has been the schooling, and not being able to make new friends. I am a very extroverted person, and I love to meet new people, as strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet, even though they might not consider me a friend. But with schools doing online learning, I am not able to make new friends in class or in the hallways. It is frustrating.

Bellingham