What to Do While Stuck at Home

When I started my freshman year at Davis, I never could have guessed it would be cut short due to a global pandemic. As the virus spread throughout Asia and Europe, I stupidly thought my little bubble in California would be unaffected. Little did I know I would find myself packing up my whole dorm room in the middle of the night in March, right before my eight am flight home for “spring break.” While finishing up this school year online in my childhood home is quite unexpected, and certainly not ideal, it helps knowing I’m not alone in this strange situation. Luckily, I’ve also figured out some ways to help make this time not only bearable, but even a little fun. 

Go through your closet. 

I don’t mean just your clothes. I’m talking about the far depths of your closet you haven’t touched in years. You know, the piles of old schoolwork from elementary school that you swore you would need at some point but have just sat there, useless, collecting dust for years. (Just me?) I started this cleaning project when I first came home and from just a few days of sorting through everything, I struck pure gold. Between old birthday cards, unopened letters to my future self, confessions of love from sixth grade, my ninth grade homecoming poster, and far too many handmade books circa 2008 featuring letters I wrote to Barack Obama and stories such as “Why My Scooter Is My Best Friend,” I found myself entertained for days. There’s no time like the present for some deep cleaning— who knows what you might find! 

 Go for a drive. 

While there might not be anywhere to drive to right now, getting in the car for a drive around the neighborhood or to a nearby scenic route can be therapeutic and break up the monotony of sitting at home staring at your bedroom wall for hours on end. For a bonus, go ahead and blast music and dance your heart out. Best part is, since hardly anybody is outside there’s no one to judge you for any embarrassing dance moves at stoplights, and even if there is someone, they’ll probably be grateful for the entertainment.

 Have a family game night. 

It’s a rare occurrence to have the whole family under one roof these days and there’s no time like the present to break out your favorite board games from childhood. We have all the time in the world, so why not spend four hours playing a game of monopoly with your family?

 Cook! Or bake! 

I don’t know about you, but my favorite thing about being back home is having access to a kitchen again. If you’re a freshman like me, you know the dining halls aren’t exactly top notch (aside from Latitude, but good luck getting in with that line!). With the home kitchen at your disposal, now is the perfect time to learn how to cook up some delicious new meals and fill up your repertoire. 

Regardless of what exactly you choose to do with your time in quarantine, try to do something that makes you feel good and make this weird time as enjoyable as possible. Stay safe! 

 

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