Amidst an “unprecedented” global pandemic, there is a lot to be negative about. While we hope and pray to test negative, we have simultaneously allowed our lives to become exceedingly more and more dismal. Our lives have been turned upside down, and everyone in the world has been affected by COVID-19 in one way or another.
How was I affected? I am a sophomore college student majoring in Nursing with a minor in Spanish for Health Professions living at home with my three siblings, two parents, and one dog. Did someone say, “high school 2.0?”
In all seriousness, I have loved living at home. The adjustment was difficult at first because I knew that all my friends would be back at school, trying to resume their normal lives. Picking back up where I left off before the pandemic shook our entire world, and normalcy was not an option. I grew to be fine with that. Thankfully, I had two friends in my hometown that stayed home for this school year as well.
My true pandemic squad and go-to friend-group, however, is my siblings. I am the oldest of four kids. My formerly annoying and childish siblings quickly grew up right in front of me, and before I knew it, they became my best friends. We spend so much time focusing on finding the right friends. We spend so much time hanging out with specific cliques or groups of people where we feel we fit in. We spend so much time focusing on our social lives that we forget what is right in front of us: family.
Now, I know this is cheesy. While this is true, it’s hard not to become best friends with your suitemate, who in this case is my youngest sister. It’s also not hard to become best friends with the people you spend every minute of every day with. My time with my pandemic squad has consisted of playing Wii Sports Resort to stay fit, watching reality TV to keep up with the drama, and baking quite literally any dessert you can think of to maintain our creativity. I did all of these things last year as well, but now I have gotten to do them with my siblings. Thus, they are my best friends.
My family and I have always been close, but who knew that a global pandemic would bring us that much closer? I mean, it is 2021 after all, and we all know at this point that anything is possible.