An insight on students’ quarantine life

By: Robert Galamgam –--- Journalist/ @Jaguar Chronicles

Due to the enhanced community quarantine in Baguio City, classes have been suspended for a long time and students in all levels of education are advised to stay at home.

The sudden switch to online classes caused many students to feel stressed and unmotivated, even if they can complete their work as time permits.

To find out what life under quarantine is like, we conducted an online interview with some students who have already been affected by the situation.

From Rachel, a sophomore in college, she said, “Being at home has been a difficult transition. I feel my depression slowly creeping back again and that scares me. In these weeks, I’ve held back tears because I felt so trapped and hopeless.”

“I have this intrinsic motivation that pushes me [to get work done], but it’s not always there,” Bryan said. “I think the thing that motivates me the most is [deadlines].”

Being at home constantly, with nowhere else to go does not only present challenges regarding schoolwork to students. For many students, they are now at home with their families all day, and that itself can be an obstacle that students are not used to.

Even though the coronavirus has presented students with many obstacles as they navigate online schooling and adjusting to new routines, it has also provided some relief from those same routines.

“My routine has changed a lot, because of the quarantine, I have way more time for my hobbies and especially for my family,” Romarie said.

Because students are now at home, with no commute to and from school, and many are unable to work, students are able to indulge in hobbies and interests that they possibly wouldn’t have previously had time for.

“I’ve been watching Netflix a lot these past couple days… just trying to keep myself entertained,” Ingrid said. “My day-to-day routine isn’t much different [from spending time on campus] in terms of the things I do, [so] it’s kind of the same thing but done differently.”

In general, due to the coronavirus, students have had their everyday lives completely change, due mostly to having to adjust to online school schedules so quickly.

Regardless, even though students are feeling stressed and unmotivated during these changes, students have also experienced some positives, like getting to sleep in or having time to binge-watch Netflix and having a quality time with the family.