Hours have turned into days; days have turned into weeks; and who knows what will happen next.
During this global pandemic, what people fear most is the unknown.
There is an unsettling feeling that each and every day is a new mystery.
In a modern fast-paced society, people are used to their daily routines and ways of life.
Sometimes, it almost feels as if our society believes we are invincible.
But during the coronavirus pandemic, our society has learned that not everything is in our control.
Being a student during this pandemic almost does not feel real.
According to The New York Times, 55 million students are currently switching to learning online and are socializing at home.
I find it strange that I am growing up during such an out-of-the-ordinary time that will be written about in textbooks one day.
At first, this just felt like another obstacle that would pass.
Nonetheless, in the past month, I’ve watched my whole lifestyle change like the flip of a switch.
Within less than a day, I had to pack up my entire room at the University of Florida and head home for my life back in New York.
I never expected my sophomore year of college to end so abruptly and unexpectedly.
I never expected to finish my school year behind a computer screen in my house.
I never expected for all of my future plans to be canceled and to not know the next big event I have to look forward to.
All in all, I never expected to come home one day and not know the next time everything would return back to normal.
Once my classes were moved online, I knew my education for the remainder of the year would be a big change.
I felt frustrated, after finally feeling adjusted into my classes for the semester, that I would have to readjust once again.
Like many schools, UF has organized online lectures and assignments through Zoom, a video-chatting program.
I had never heard of or used Zoom until now, so at first, I was not sure what to expect.
However, I quickly learned that Zoom is very similar to other video-chatting applications that I’ve already used.
At first, Zoom just seemed to be a way for me to continue learning.
I quickly discovered how my professors could speak with us while sharing their screen, and my classmates and I had the opportunity to discuss with each other as if we were in a normal classroom setting.
Evidently, it wasn’t the same as being face-to-face, but it might just be the next best thing.
Quickly, I have watched Zoom develop into more than just an educational platform.
People around me have been using Zoom as a social platform, as well.
Zoom has allowed people to stay connected while at home.
After being constantly surrounded by others in college, it’s helped me adjust during this challenging transition.
Zoom has also been used for club meetings and organizational gatherings.
And at UF, it was used for this year’s Dance Marathon, which isa 26.2-hour long event raising money for children at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.
Even though Dance Marathon was canceled because of COVID-19, its team was able to use Zoom to connect miracle families with participants for the entire 26.2 hours.
This year, Dance Marathon raised a grand total of $2,526,418.24.
Even through a computer screen, the Dance Marathon team was still able to make miracles happen.
Recently, I celebrated my 20th birthday from my home.
It definitely wasn’t the birthday I had expected. I planned on celebrating with my friends in Gainesville, not back home in New York.
However, I had my own “zoom birthday party.” My friends from home and college all connected with me through a zoom link I had created to help me celebrate.
Since the short amount of time that I learned about Zoom, I have been on many different Zoom calls.
In one way or another, it has helped me socialize and meet new people.
It may not be the same as in-person interaction, but this software is helping make a difficult time a lot easier.