Not long ago, we received news that the Spring 2021 semester would be mostly online, with some supplemental programming on campus.
It kind of feels good to know that my time at Arcadia is worth missing. I catch myself making coffee in the morning in Florida, and wishing that I could go to Easton.
– Jasmin Ramirez
The update left me with a level of heartbreak I cannot fully express. As a senior, it was hard enough not to be able to experience my last dall in Pennsylvania. A Florida fall just is not the same.
I think, for many of us, what was getting us through the fall semester was the expectation of returning in the spring. It felt fitting: It would be a new semester and an entirely new year. So long story short, this news was definitely a crushing experience.
However, the flip side to this: It kind of feels good to know that my time at Arcadia is worth missing. It’s odd, but it almost feels like I am going through that post-grad feeling of reminiscing. I catch myself making coffee in the morning in Florida, and wishing that I could go to Easton. Also, just the mere fact that here it’s always iced coffee versus hot coffee. When I pick out my outfit and see that I have a tank top and shorts picked for the day, I sigh because I just wish that Florida had sweater weather.
With this news, I have grown significantly more aware of the issues I face being fully online, and I want to resolve them so that I can still make the best out of my senior year. The biggest hardship, personally, is the boundary between work and home. It’s hard to distinguish the two when your space that was once reserved for rest and Netflix binges becomes your space to grind out papers and keep up with all of your internship duties. I think something that has really helped me for the couple of weeks since I made some changes is designating areas for specific tasks.
I am the oldest of five, and everyone is online this semester. This may sound a bit intense (haha), but growing up with a lot of siblings, we are all used to the need for structure and organization so that things can go smoothly. The kitchen is my designated space for internship/ TA responsibilities. I kind of pencil in that I need the kitchen between X time and Y time. The living room is designated for getting all of my assignments done. My other siblings have adopted the same area so there are many times when we are all working together, and I am the extra one that adds aromatherapy and plays Lofi Chill Hop playlists.
Being fully online is not ideal, but I refuse to allow it to taint my memories of senior year. So, if there is anything that you take from this post, please let it be this: You can create happy memories of this unforgettable school year. If you would always meet your friends weekly for coffee at Easton, try to host a weekly or bi-weekly Zoom meeting where you all catch up and sip some coffee. If you and your friends would watch movies together, that can be done over video chat, too! We can all remain connected. It may take more effort or thought, but that is what makes it all more meaningful.
