Chanel Stewart, Contributing Writer 

Wake up around noon, stare at phone for about 25 minutes, check to see what’s for breakfast or lunch, go back to the room, check my phone again, open my laptop to see responsibilities and homework, close laptop, go back to sleep. This has become my daily routine as a student working amid the coronavirus pandemic happening today. 

What seemed to be a fun, extended Spring Break has turned into a nightmare. I’ve lost my focus as a student and have been struggling to get back on path ever since. 

I never miss a Zoom class meeting and barely make deadlines for online class assignments. I feel like I am still a student in college, but I am not an active student like I used to be.  

It has been hard to focus at home because I don’t have my own desk or private space to be productive. In school, the study lounge and library were my best friend. Having two parents working from home has also been quite distracting and has contributed to my feeling of confinement because they are always moving around the house trying to fix, clean or move something. 

My favorite color is yellow. I have yellow walls, yellow curtains, a yellow laptop, comforter set, my room is very vibrant. Being in the house for so long has made my yellow, vibrant room very dark and confining. I know I have the ability to go outside and get some fresh air, but my room has become my sanctuary for sleeping and isolation. 

My family invite me to join them downstairs and play puzzles or watch movies and bake cookies, but I am drawn to my yellow room where I hide under the covers, waiting for this pandemic to end. 

One night I woke up feeling like I had a fever, so I began constantly checking my forehead and neck temperature. I called my mother into my room to take my temperature only to find out it was normal. The pandemic has cornered me into a paranoia where I fear catching it in my own house, even when I have been on my 13th day of quarantine. 

My heart breaks for my city as the death rates of coronavirus in New York have exceeded the rates in China, where the virus began. 

Social media has become a numbing, coping mechanism for dealing with the virus. The memes, videos, and instagram live videos have been entertaining temporarily but the fear of what is going on outside my home has been the true nightmare. 

Being cornered by the coronavirus has revealed my ability to become easily distracted and unmasked my lack of faith in myself, my country, and my Christianity.