Was I Ready for America’s Reopening?
I absolutely was not, and here’s why
It Takes Time to Build a Habit
I was not because it meant slowly going back into old routines.
The pandemic has been two plus years and for sure work-life balance is much better than before. I am an introvert, so no complaints from me about remote work; I loved working remotely in my part-time student position.
But will other good changes, such as:
- Caring more for others
- Polluting the Earth less
- Valuing relationships more
Sticking around as our typical competing sources for our time, money, and expertise are back at their regular levels.
I hope it does!
But being realistic, I don’t think two-plus years was long enough for America to recognize our need to make some long, overdue changes.
I hope the pause really helped us reflect in the mirror to move forward differently. But unfortunately, I think we’ll slip back into routines we were familiar with before the pandemic.
The coming together of communities that the conditions of the pandemic inspired I think will regress as we opt for a return into our own independent livelihoods again.
We expect children to learn from their mistakes, yet we as America are not learning from ours in true reconciliation.
People Gathering
I was not because it meant being around people again.
Not speaking on behalf of all introverts although you may relate to my feelings, for myself I was not a fan of being among people pre-pandemic and even more so now in the pandemic.
Even though I thrived in online learning during my first academic year, I had no choice but to resume classes back in-person during my following second academic year.
If it was an option I would have finished the second year of my MPH program fully online.
I had been a student since Fall 2020 and witnessed the campus protocols of social distancing, mask wearing, and sanitizing stations for entering and exiting classrooms and study spaces.
But with the return to normal capacity in the Fall 2021 semester, it was a complete 360.
What was once a socially distanced arrangement of furniture were now several desks and chairs all within an arms reach in classrooms and tables and chairs all within an arms reach in the food court area.
This original placing of furniture I would not have given a second thought to before the pandemic. The word that came to my mind at this sight was crowded. My emotions were in a flurry.
I had gotten used to having extra personal space and campus being a ghost town. Those things helped me feel calm.
But when the traditional college learning environment came back, I experienced more moments of feeling tensed. The hustle and bustle of a regular school year during my second year felt different for sure.
While others were “ yeah looking forward to a regular school year”, I was “how will I navigate this”.
This Story has a Happy Ending
Despite this, the good news to report I made through my second year and graduated.
Thank you for reading my perspective :)
