Donald Trump.

President-elect of the United States of America.

This is a fact that I’m still very much trying to process. Every day further removed from the election is a little easier, but it’s not something I can wake up and not think about. I’m scared of what the next four years hold for me, and for those I love. The sense of normalcy that has begun to fall back on all the people around me is terrifying in a way. Watching people be able to return to their everyday lives—laughing, registering for classes, focusing on school work—seems so impossible to me. Although I have moments where I’m genuinely happy and having a good time, they’re just that—moments. Every time I’m reminded of the reality of the situation, the heaviness of it hits me all over again, and I feel like the world should stop spinning and time should freeze for a second. It’s been hard to feel like anything is the same as it was pre-election, and maybe that’s because it’s not.

The past two weeks have been filled with two very specific things; for one, there’s been a lot of coping. My friends and I have spent a lot of time not doing schoolwork because our focus just hasn’t been there, and eating lots of comfort food, and excusing it with a simple “I’m coping.” I’ve definitely been clingier with people, because being alone right now is tough. Some of us have also been watching a lot of Harry Potter movies, because what better way to cope with a real-life Voldemort than watching the original character be defeated? My point is, a lot of us are still coping, and that’s valid. This isn’t something to just move on from, as some people have suggested. But I believe there is still a silver lining to this, which is found in the second thing these past weeks have been filled with—fierce togetherness.

On the Friday after the election, I went to Boston with a few friends to a Love Trumps Hate peace rally. The first thing we saw when we got there were two walls completely covered in chalk messages. “Love is love is love.” “Together we stand.” “You are loved.” “Protect one another.” “We won’t let him hurt us.” Needless to say, I was moved to tears. It touched me deeply to see so much kindness and love and compassion emerge from such a tragic and polarizing situation. Hundreds—possibly thousands—of complete strangers gathered together in a showing of peace and solidarity. It was cold and windy and growing dark, but for hours a circle of these kind strangers gathered in the park and listened as they took turns sharing how they felt about the election. People stood up and proudly declared they were Black, Latino, Asian, Muslim, Jewish, gay, transgender, queer, disabled, immigrants, sexual assault survivors, women, and many other identities that Trump has singled out and discriminated. They recounted their first emotions and their fears after the election, but also their actions since, and their hopes for what can be done to keep America a decent place for its diverse population over the next four years. Many people called each other to action, reaffirming that this is not the time to stand by or sit on the sidelines, but to fight back against hate and make our voices heard. And when each person finished speaking, they were clapped for and hugged and validated by the entire crowd. It was more moving than I can put into words.

The following day I went to an anti-Trump protest in downtown Worcester, and many of my classmates and friends did the same, as did locals. People took turns speaking and chanting into the megaphone, and many cars honked in approval as they drove by. I stood in the front of the crowd for most of the protest, waving a rainbow American flag. Although the mood was much different, it was once again a showing of the same togetherness as the night before.

On a more personal level, there has been so much support among my friends here at Clark, and at home too. Following the election, I reached out to friends that I hadn’t talked to in months, just to send them love and warm thoughts, and because of this, I ended up having conversations with friends I thought I had lost. And as my friends at Clark and I cope, we cope together. We’ve hugged each other and shared our feelings and just spent more time together in general, and from this, I am closer to them.

I probably made too many Facebook status posts immediately following the election, but there’s one that I remember very clearly:
“The three most important things to do right now:
1. Love each other fiercely. And show it, in whatever way makes sense to you.
2. Self-care, whether that means making lots of social media posts or talking to others about how you feel or protesting or completely getting out of your head.
3. Do not be complacent. We cannot afford to be complacent. Grieve. But then fight, because lives depend on it.”
Since I posted that, I feel like it has come true. Although times are rough and everything feels uncertain, people are taking the time to cope and care for themselves in the ways that they need to. People are spending time with others and reminding each other that we are in this together. And most importantly, people are making their voices heard and fighting for what they believe in.

My world still feels like it’s been turned upside-down, but every day I’m finding my footing again, through lots of chocolate, lots of hugs, and lots of protesting. This might be a really bad storm, but there is still a silver lining.