So here we are.

For me and my fellow peers at Hunter and CUNY, our first semester has come to an end, and what a way to end it, in the most unconventional of circumstances as forced by the still ongoing pandemic. I know that this wasn't the way that anyone wanted for the last 4 months to go, I among them, and indeed, at many points it was not easy to get through each day of this semester. There was just something draining about the fact that the extent of our human interaction was from behind a screen, and that fed into some of the experiences that I've noticed during this semester, for even in some of my favorite classes, it felt like we were pouring energy into an empty cup.

But at the same time, something that I've come to admire about this experience (if admire is the right word to use) is that at least everyone was acknowledging that this was a very confusing and frustrating situation to be in, and that we at least could try to make the best of it. Something about that moment of when we all recognized that just felt very validating and even though it hasn't necessarily gotten any better (from a college freshman's standpoint), it hasn't gotten worse either in some respects, although I really wish I could've learned some of the things that I did in my classes in person instead of virtually.

That being said, I feel as though that only gives me all the more reason to hope for the day of when that opportunity will come. And that's been theme about this semester to me; although I can't say that this was the best by a long shot (and because we have long way to go), I'm still a little encouraged by what I've seen, and it has left me hopeful that the best may come out of the next semester as well.

But for now, this semester ends, and the best we can do is take it a day at a time.

For now, I hope everyone reading this has a safe holiday.