Coping during quarantine
Holly Hutchinson
So Covid-19 has completely shut down Ireland now, the 30th of March, and so we are all stuck home. TY is flying past and I know I’d much rather make the most of these last few weeks of academic freedom with my friends than be stuck at home with a pile of work. But here I am.
Not only is the Barcelona trip off but the day trips to Dublin, Belfast and Cork are in grave danger, as is the final overnight trip to the Burren and even our TY Challenge. School is shut and the country’s on a sort of lockdown until at least the 19th of April, the end of the Easter holidays.
So what to do? Well my typical day of quarantine varies but the routine is very much the same. So here is how I’m coping with isolation:
In the mornings, after a small lie in, I do whatever school work I have. While in the afternoons I do something active like running or horse-riding. Occasionally I’ll help on the farm or go for a walk and hit around a hockey ball. The time has gone forward, and now with a longer stretch it the evening there’s more time to get things done although I’m running out of things to do.
Everything is cancelled! Competitions, festivals and shows due to take place in the upcoming months are all cancelled or postponed indefinitely. No one knows when school will be back or when life will return to normal, it’s like something in a movie. The Tokyo Olympics are not happening until next year!
I never really thought I’d say it but I miss school and all the aspects of TY. Short course at the start of the week, four class Thursdays and just the experience in general.
Maybe we’re lucky, not missing any huge amount of coursework but from where I stand we’re missing the most important part of TY. Sunny days prepping for the expo, final trips where every moment counts and summer afternoons spent lazing around in the sun.