by Kelly Mooney
As the weeks progress into the end of the semester and this series ends, I spoke with one of my best friends, Derek Butler. We talked about the Coronavirus pandemic, how he went into lockdown in March and how he is doing now. Derek is a nursing student at Rivier University in Nashua, NH.
KM: Tell me about who you are quarantining with and your living situation.
DB: Right now, I live with two roommates. I don’t live with my family, but they tested positive at the beginning of November. Since then, they have been in quarantine and my dad went to Florida and contracted it there. Since being exposed, three of them tested positive and have not left the house. As for me, I'm also in quarantine–just for precautions.
KM: And what about March, when the pandemic first hit?
DB: Like everyone else, the fear level was very high. So I did not leave my house much, unless it was necessary. Me and my four roommates at the time were good at staying inside. In comparison to now, now that a lot of people are used to the virus, it's definitely very different because not that many people are serious about quarantining any more.
KM: What was your favorite activity during quarantine?
DB: I took a gap year, so I had a lot of time off. My favorite activity was playing video games and chatting with friends. I also really enjoyed Houseparty in the beginning. It was so fun, I loved it; that app particularly because I could talk to my friends where I couldn’t in person. It kept me sane in the beginning, and even now that we have to isolate again with the case surges.
KM: I like playing UNO on Houseparty.
DB: I asked my mom to download it so we could play, and she said no.
KM: Aw. Were you or your roommates still able to work?
DB: My dad was working in person, my mom has worked from home since March and has no set return date, and me and my roommates can work. As of right now, I have not worked for three weeks. Before we were quarantined, we could work, but Alexis can return December 17th.
KM: Did you take any corona safe vacations?
DB: I did not. I took a few day trips with extra precautions. I washed my hands frequently and took my own car.
KM: Did you rediscover anything you once loved doing?
DB: I picked up old hobbies when I was bored. I haven’t been doing it recently, but I got super into baking. I baked a lot of desserts and then ate them all. I got back into video games as well.
KM: What got old quickly?
DB: The fact that people don’t adhere to standard hygiene practices and mask wearing. We all know by science and common sense that wearing a mask will reduce the number of droplets spread. The fact that people did not adhere to that got old super quickly. Because of that, quarantine could have been shorter, or things could have been handled better.
KM: What do you wish that you got to do with all the free time at home?
DB: I wish that I got more stuff done outside of personal things. I wish that I did more academics or real-life things; for example, tax returns. I waited a long time to do those.
KM: What did you learn while in quarantine?
DB: I learned that life is short, health is wealth: you never realize how important your health is until you are in the hospital because of the virus. I definitely realized that being inside a lot and being with yourself a lot makes you learn a lot about yourself.
KM: Any fun activities or recipes that you would like to share from quarantine?
DB: I sound like I am 14 when I say this, but I played Fortnite for two and a half weeks, every single day. I leveled up to Level 220. I also baked recipes from my childhood, like my dad’s chocolate chip cookie recipe and apple Bavarian tortes. So good.
Derek was affected closely by the COVID-19. These past few days he has been recovering and speaks honestly on how people should mask up, wash up, and be safe. We need to take extra precautions. Apps like Zoom and Houseparty are available so that Derek, his family, and roommates can find a sense of normalcy again. Find other ways to have fun with your friends and family to keep them safe, like baking or virtual UNO!
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