Bienvenido a mi vida! Today is March 19.

I still can’t get over the fact I’m not physically going to school anymore. It seems like summer vacation, just coupled with the mild anxiety of a typical weekend during the school year. For some reason I have this perpetual feeling of being late on every assignment in all my classes, even though teachers are still figuring out how to manage this new system. I’ve done summer school classes online for the past three summers, and I think I’m now in the same emotional state as I was then.

Unlike during regular school sessions where I can see teachers every day and ask questions in person, I’m now completely dependent on my own time management and organizational skills to keep me on top of my work. Although I would consider myself a relatively self-motivated person, I am worried for all students who rely on the structure of a typical school day to help them succeed.

I’m working to set boundaries for myself with “goof-off” time, so I still complete assignments on time. For example, after a leisurely morning I made sure to finish my Advanced Placement Calculus AB homework that is due this Friday. Even though the topic it covered regarding limits made enough sense, I am still confused about solving the rotational problems we recently learned. I would typically go in during my Alternating Unassigned Time (AUT) to ask for help, but since virtually all day, every day is AUT now, that is no longer a feasible option.

In addition to staying sane by limiting my free time, I’m also trying to take on a small project every day to stay productive. Yesterday it was vacuuming my room, so today I decided to deep clean my bathroom. There was dust in places I didn’t even know dust could be. I ended up playing two songs on a loop while I cleaned: “Heaven” by State of Sound and “Sometimes” by Kodaline. I know some people may not find cleaning fun, but for me it’s actually pretty therapeutic. It lets me accomplish a task while also partaking in a mindless activity that lets my thoughts wander and brain destress. As disgusting as the actual dusting, Windexing and scrubbing was, it was nice to check an item off my to do list.[vc_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1584672074579-cd699413-166f-8″ include=”329428,329427,329426,329425,329424,329422″][penci_text_block block_title_align=”style-title-left” custom_markup_1=””]Nevertheless, I will admit to spending a large part of my day as a couch potato. I even discovered a new Spanish crime drama on Netflix, hence the greeting.

In addition to focusing on my normal school work, I’m also using my free time to practice my Spanish comprehension. I’m listening to the series in Spanish but reading the English subtitles to make connections and improve my language skills. I’m worried since this is my first year since sixth grade not formally studying Spanish that I will lose my language proficiency before college, which could hurt my chances when taking placement exams. Because of this I’m trying to find ways to practice, even when I’m alone.

As a conclusion to today, which had absolutely perfect weather for being the first official day of spring, my family and I ordered takeout from a local Greek restaurant on our side of town: George’s Pizza and Steak. The food was delicious, and I highly recommend everyone try it. Since we are not balancing everyone’s busy school schedules anymore, we are able to sit down and share meals together as a family. Using this time to create common memories with them has been nice, and I hope we can continue to spend quality time together during the next month.

I hope tomorrow is as lovely as today. I guess that’s goodbye for now.

“A masterpiece is still a masterpiece when the lights are off and the room is empty.”  — Charlotte Geiger

How has the second day of social distancing been? Let us know in the comments below.[/penci_text_block]