Like most college students, I have a part-time job. I work at PC's Ruane Cafe making coffee, toasting bagels, and trying to figure out how I'm going to get my homework done after I clock out. This is the reality for a lot of students. And while working can be a pain in the ass on some days, I always look forward to when my friends visit my small kiosk, just to say hello. This, plus the weekly paycheck, make the long hours spent making iced caramel macchiatos way better. I was just starting to get a feel for how I was going to balance this fall semester when, about a month ago, classes shifted entirely to remote, and I was unable to work.
Immediately, I started to think of the full-time cafe employees who were left without work, at least for the foreseeable future. I couldn't help but worry about what they were going to do to make ends meet in the coming weeks. As the stay-in-place order continued to unfold, I then found myself worrying about my own inability to work. My paycheck is my groceries, my utilities, my gas money. It isn't always as much as I want, but it's vital to me as a student without a meal plan. The other PC students I work with feel the same way. Although financial situations differ from person-to-person, we could all agree that not being able to work straight-up sucked. A few weeks later, we got the news that Ruane Cafe would not be reopening for the entirety of the semester. My immediate reaction was disappointment and stress, as were the reactions of my student co-workers. I know that this is the case for a lot of kids at PC, and I also feel for those students unable to work their off-campus jobs during the stay-at-home order. These times are undoubtedly stressful for all affected, and it can be difficult to find a silver lining in these gray October skies.
Despite the remote classes, inability to go into work, and quarantine orders, I can't help but feel extremely grateful for the last couple weeks, and genuinely optimistic about the rest of the semester. Yes, I have a lot of hours at my at-home job to look forward to when I go home for Christmas break, but when else have I had so much time to spend with my friends? My roommates and I have been making the best of our quarantine. A couple Sundays ago, my floor-mate Jeannie roasted not one but two chickens for us to eat for dinner. The five of us have spent countless hours doing homework together on our porch, sitting around our pink kitchen table on our respective Zoom calls, struggling through online yoga sculpt classes (some of us are struggling more than others), and cooking new dishes in our kitchen that is watched over by our glossy Bobby Flay poster. We have lit more candles, made more cups of coffee, and watched more hours of Glee than I thought possible. And I've loved every second of it.
I recognize that each PC student is having a different quarantine experience. I realize that off-campus housing allows for more living space, and so my stay-in-place order might look different than that of someone living on-campus. Hopefully now that campus is re-opening, all PC students will have more freedoms, whether this means attending class in-person or being able to spend a Sunday at Phillips Memorial Library. Personally, I'm happy to see campus more alive than it was earlier this month. I have a beautiful view of the lower campus from my porch, and it makes my day when I see students buzzing around, heading to class or the mail room or the dining hall. But I also feel a quiet gratitude for the time I have spent at home this past month. As a senior, my time at PC is growing shorter every day. And although this semester has been unprecedented and stressful, both financially and emotionally, it has also been so full of laughter and closeness. I can't wait to see what another weekend-at-home will bring, and I encourage you to find your own silver linings, even if you have to look a little harder.
