So...it's been over a month since we have all been stuck at home. For college students in particular, it has been an unusual adjustment. Now that the year is cut short, we are basically stuck living at home for nearly six months, which for most people is probably the longest period of time that they've been home since high school. It's very odd, and definitely not how any of us anticipated the end of the year to go. I think I can safely speak for most of us that we would much rather be at school being silly with friends, but also recognize that this situation is bigger than us and beyond anything we can control.

Life in quarantine has certainly brought out a wide variety of emotions for us ~emerging adults.~ Here are just some of things that I have observed or thought about while in quarantine that I'm sure many other college students can definitely agree with:

1. For once, people are not too busy to talk to you.

When I was away at school, I often found it hard to keep in touch with my home friends. Time gets away, and it's difficult to find that balance between living in the moment and forming new relationships while also keeping up with the old ones. I think it's kind of ironic that for the first time since high school, everyone is home at the same time yet we can't even see each other. But what I have noticed is that I have been talking to my friends a lot more now than I have been in the past. Even my mom has been recently reconnecting with old people which I think is awesome. I know it's partially because most of us have nothing better to do, but I also hope that this means that we have all realized the value of friendships and how they can truly make our lives better. Next year when I'm back at school (if that ever happens lol), then I'm going to hopefully remember this time and how valuable keeping up with people really is.

2. EVERYONE and their mother is baking banana bread.

Yes, we have all seen the hilarious memes about this, but honestly I'm here for it. First of all, banana bread slaps and is now getting the respect it has deserved all this time. But I do think that baking/cooking is a great stress reliever for people during this time. I have definitely taken advantage of all of this extra time to experiment in the kitchen, and I definitely encourage people to do the same.

3. Tik Tok has served as a coping mechanism.

10000% guilty of this. Not gonna lie my "for you" page is POPPIN' right now. Tik Tok alone will keep you busy all day everyday. From the whipped coffee to toilet bleaching everything you own to just learning the dances, there are so many trends for you to try.

4. Puzzles are now the cool and trendy thing to do, but I guess it only counts if you put it on your story.

One of the only trends that I can proudly say I was ahead of, but unfortunately no one will never believe me because I never storied it. My mom and I have been doing over 1,000 piece puzzles in our houses for years and is our favorite past-time when I come home for breaks. Our current record finishing time is about three days, which is pretty impressive if I do say so myself.

5. The online school thing is suddenly not fun anymore.

At first, people made me really excited about online classes. Sleeping in later, "going" to class in your pajamas, being able to get away with doing less work, etc. But the longer that I have been in online classes the more I hate it. First of all, many of my teachers have even foregone using zoom, which means that I'm not even having normal human discussion with students and all of our work is for us to do on our own time. And second of all, having to listen to lectures rather than attend them means more work for you to do on your own time, making it feel like you have so much more work than you did before. Online classes have really put a damper on my learning and made me significantly less motivated. I honestly never thought that I'd say that I actually miss going to class, but I'm actually yearning for it and really miss the routine of going.

6. ANYTHING goes on Zoom.

Step aside FaceTime. Beyond class discussions, college students have been using Zoom in so many other ways, such as happy hours with friends, getting together with clubs/organizations they're involved in on campus, conducting performances, etc. Not to mention all of the ways that celebrities, news organizations, or T.V. shows have been usually been using them to reunite and connect with one another (sometimes entertaining, sometimes an eye-roll), zoom is kind of taking over the world right now and TBH I'm here for it. My biggest mistake is not investing in the Zoom stock pre-quarantine because they may be the only business right now that's not taking a hit to this virus.

7. Tie Dye is FINALLY a trend and my younger self is shaking right now.

I'm not sure when, but tie dye has recently become a huge thing again, especially those cute sets (don't worry, I will be in possession of one very soon). Similar to the puzzle hysteria, tie dying was another trend that I was ahead of, so I guess this quarantine life is something that I was destined for. I have been a tie dye lover for as long as I can remember. My bat mitzvah giveaways were tie-dye shirts, and I even had a tie dye themed birthday party in 6th grade. Always knew I had an eye for fashion.

8. Okay, maybe now I'll actually pay attention to what's going on in the world.

When you're away at college, it is very easy to be trapped into a tiny bubble where you have absolutely no connection to the outside world. I am certainly one of the people who falls into this trap, and have a really hard time staying up to date on current news while at college. In high school, my source of news was usually my mom putting on the "Today Show" every morning, usually serving as my background noise while I ate breakfast, but I obviously can't really do that at school. However, there is clearly something big going on in our world right now, and I think I would be an ignorant idiot if I wasn't staying up to date on what's going on. I am trying a lot right now to watch the news and gather information from trustworthy sources (in small doses of course). And for once, I kind of feel like everyone else is following suit with this and also trying to be a well-informed citizen for once.

9. Everyone is so much more willing to help out their community and do their part that I ever would've thought.

The amount of GoFundMe's I've donated to this quarantine is absurd. But I'm happy to do it. To think that there are so many people who are suffering right now makes me sick, and if I can do something small to do my part, then sign me up. I've also been pleasantly surprised to see the amount of peers offering help to the local community right now. Many people I know have been volunteering to go grocery shopping for people who need it, donating resources to hospitals, etc. It warms my heart to know there are so many people out there that are willing to do their part, especially those who are least expected.

10. You never realized you took for granted all of the shitty moments of your college experience until it was ripped away from you too shortly.

What I would give for a walk to class is the frozen tundra or a crappy meal at my sorority house right now. College is only four short years, so I am determined to not get so caught up in the little annoying things and finally take advantage of all of the time I have life there when I go back (whenever that will be).