Tag: socializing

Avoiding Politics

karolineticoLeave a comment
Photo Credit: http://www.khou.com

I was shocked when my friend told me that she thought I was really into politics because I never considered myself a political person.

She also said she has always been told by her parents never to mention politics with friends.

Why is politics such a taboo?

We all have come from different backgrounds, received different education, and read different books. Even within the same country, there are left-wing and right-wing, communist and green parties. Of course, people will have disagreements.

While it is true that many people don’t care about politics at all, we are given the right to believe in what we believe.

Another friend of mine met her ex-boyfriend online, my friend is from China and the ex-boyfriend is German. They argue constantly over political issues. Eventually, they broke up, and neither side changed their beliefs.

Does that mean we should try to not mention it in daily conversation? I, at least, believe that gives us more reason to talk openly about it and learn from different perspectives.

Quarantined

currychickenloveLeave a comment

For the past 12 days, I have been quarantined in my room at my school. About 2 weeks after school started I decided it was better for me to return back to the U.S to take my online classes, as the time-difference from Germany was too much and I always had classes at night.

Of course, with me coming from a different country and getting in contact with a lot of people, I had to take a COVID Test and I still quarantined to be safe. Being stuck in your room for 2 weeks is more exhausting than I thought. I can only leave my room to get water and to go on runs. I am a very social person, so not being able to actually be with people and hang out with them really got to me. I decided that I didn’t just want to sit around in my room not doing anything so I started doing things that I usually didn’t have much time for.

I started playing the guitar again everyday, learning new songs, I went on daily runs, did daily workouts and concentrated a lot on studying. Quarantine is what you make out of it. I though these two weeks would be endlessly long and boring but I have found new ways to keep me busy.

I was able to work a lot on my photography, I usually don’t have much time to squeeze my photography in with having school until the afternoon and then sports, dinner, study time and then bed. But now with the extra time I had, I was able to work on my pictures and continue on my journal about animal behavior and animal tracking.

I also had daily google meet meet-ups with friends every night to study together and work on homework and SAT studies. This has now become a daily thing and we meet up every night in the google meet working together. This makes studying more fun and it helps you to stay connected during these uncertain times.

I am very happy to finally be able to get out and see people again after my quarantine but these two weeks have also taught me a lot about keeping myself busy and helped me make time for the things I love.

Quarantine and lockdown - Coronavirus: Key terms explained | The Economic Times
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/coronavirus-key-terms-explained/quarantine-and-lockdown/slideshow/74930210.cms

Power Outage

raining17Leave a comment

It’s interesting how a slight parting from your routine can make such a large impact on your daily lifestyle.

There was construction work being done on Sunday, and the power was out on the OVS Upper Campus from 8-4.

I can probably speak for the all the boarders and say that it was less than convenient – who doesn’t love a lazy Sunday morning, laying in bed and watching a movie.

But as the day went on, there was a tangible change of atmosphere, as students came together and learned how to overcome the change.

Photo Credit: parisapartment.files.wordpress.com

I, for one, spent more time with friends than I would otherwise. A group of friends and I ordered some pizza and sat around talking and laughing.

Fast forward a few hours when I went into the girls dorm lounge. Instead of seeing the five or so that usually hang out there, at least 20 people were there – talking, playing board games and spending time outside.

Photo Credit: http://www.cliparthut.com

Sunday happened to be a rare rainy day, and due to the drought, Californians tend to get pretty excited whenever the sky opens up.

It was pouring, and there were kids dancing in the rain, listening to music and throwing water at each other. While the excitement stemmed from the water, this would be much less likely to happen if video games or movies were options.

Just from the lack of power, kids began spending more time together, playing games and doing more activities together. A simple change of lifestyle spurred new customs, and a whole new vibe on campus.