A reflection

This semester has been all but normal, if I can even trust us all to remember what normal was. My Covid test did come back negative, thankfully. Several weeks later, one of my suitemates had to quarantine due to close contact with someone who did test positive. The three of us that were left bonded quite a bit over that time, and I am very thankful for their friendship. 

Now I am finishing up the semester from my room here at school, in a state of semi-quarantine. We are allowed to leave our rooms for meals, and occasional trips to the library, but other than that we are stuck with our roommates. I actually haven't minded at all, except that some friends left right away, and some more recently. The campus is a sort of ghost town again. 

However, there are many bright sides. The walks I've taken this semester have been beyond expression. Maybe that's exaggerating, maybe not. Ang (roommate) and Hayley (suitemate) and I spent several hours in the bluffs together, hiking, sitting and admiring nature, talking, and journaling. 

Classes have been demanding on all of us. There were tears. There were little fights and temper tantrums. There were days of procrastination, and days of celebration. I can't wait for next semester.

Sticky notes are also a plus from this semester. We have over 150 between our two rooms, with motivational quotes, goofy sayings, Scripture verses, or some note of equal cheer on them. The rule is to hide them for someone else to find randomly. One favorite from my roommate says "Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you." I really do have great friends this semester. 

Music and design are still my passions, but this semester limited both of these areas, so I was forced in a way to explore different avenues. My Philosophy of Art class is an example of this, but in this case it was very enjoyable. 

Well, I need to work on finals and presentations. Sorry for such irregular posting. 

~Olivia

 

What, she actually posted?

Hello, friends! I hope you've been staying healthy and safe. 

It's been a while since I've posted, I realize. In fact, this is my first real post this year. And it's almost April!!!! 

Everyone at school was watching the news, always talking about it, some hoping we would have school canceled, some hoping not. Then it was a Thursday and I had just gotten back from a walk (the weather at school had been absolutely gorgeous the last few days). I sat down at my desk after opening my window, opened up my email, and had one from the "officials." In the space of about two minutes my life flipped upside down. People in my dorm were screaming and running down the halls and banging on friends' doors. It was chaos. The email was sending us home until Easter break, and we'd be doing online classes. I was pretty sad, honestly, because we had all just gotten back from spring break and I was loving being at school. I didn't want to go home!!! The rest of Thursday I spent with friends talking and saying goodbyes. Some people skipped their Friday classes and left right away. I didn't. ;) I went to Friday classes and left first thing Saturday. I was going to surprise my sister. :) 



Saturday I drove up to the bakery where my sister and I both work, and "stole" my sister's spare apartment key. I happened to know she was at work at her other job, so I got a ride over her place so my car wouldn't be noticeable anywhere. I let myself in, said hi to her kitty (who loves it when I come over, btw), and prepared to surprise her. I set up my phone to video record her reaction, and I'm glad I did, although I missed the part where she was cry laughing. ;) 

Then I went home home. For the first few days it was nice. Now, not so much. We got another email saying that everything would be online until the end of the semester. Oi. It's been quite the adjustment into home life, into life where I am under my parents' roof again, into life without my friends, into online school. I don't much care for it. BUT, it is less stressful. 



Pretty much everything music went out the window. Quartet is over. Orchestra is over. The big gigs that we were looking forward to are canceled. Lessons continue via Zoom. One class meets via Zoom as well, and another uses it sporadically. 

I've kept my class schedule, and just do that class's homework during that time frame. It's worked decently so far. It's really weird. 

I miss my friends, my teachers, my bluffs!!! :) 

The GOOD news is that we are getting refunded for room and board, and we will be given a time to go move out of our rooms. I miss my roommate and my view! Next semester I'll have a different dorm and a different roommate, so "life in Skemp" is pretty much over. I try not to think about it. ;) 




I'm trying to be optimistic! How are you where you are? 

Olivia