Ari
“When I got the news that [things were closing] for two weeks, I was really excited because I had stuff to do that I didn’t want to do. And so when I heard we got two weeks, I was like “Oh my gosh yes, two more weeks to play my life out and kind of relax.” But then we start getting news that things wouldn’t be happening until the end of April, now we're not going back until the end of May, and then we didn't go back at all. It was like a huge brick wall went up, and all of a sudden there's nothing to do, like everything stopped besides basic easy stuff. I felt like I had nothing to do at home, because I couldn't go back to work because of the virus. And we couldn't go out and do anything because of people's safety, so it's like, "What am I doing here, like why am I sitting at home doing nothing?"
“I'm mostly upset about not being able to do extracurricular activities. I was in color guard, and it got canceled right in the middle of our season, so that was a letdown. And I was really excited to go to watch events for DCI [Drum Corps International] (Which is professional marching band stuff), and all of that got shut down. Me and my friend were going to tour across the country with them during the summer time. Sadly, we didn't get to do that. And also joining like an independent group, I was really looking forward to that.
“I struggle with anxiety and depression, and so for the past few years I’ve spent my time around the same group of people, and they kind of brought me out of that really rough time. And it's difficult now that I can't see anyone, and I'm at home by myself. I mean I'm with my family and I love them, but it was weird just being in a bubble. So I felt very constricted again and my mental health has kind of taken a turn. Not for the worst, but it definitely was left of center.
“Like I said, I spend a lot of time with my family now. We were always so busy so we never got to sit down and just talk and be with each other, so we've had a lot more family dinners now. My grandmother and I started working on these little diamond painting things together. And so things like that and just being around each other has really helped.
“I wanted to go and protest, but since I'm at a higher risk, I sadly couldn't. Every time I tried to, I was like "I really shouldn't." Just for the safety of myself and others. But I have donated to a lot of organizations and have learned a little bit more about how people of color, even my own self, can get treated because of something we can't control. I have the privilege of being, you know, a person of color but passing as a white person, so it's not something I've really experienced. That's when I really learned about what is white privilege -- just based on the color of your skin, you don't get the same discrimination that my family gets. So it's been very eye-opening the past few months.
“There's no way that racism doesn't exist, even at a multicultural school. I've personally witnessed it come from the students and teachers. So there's just no way. It does exist, and it's crazy how some people can say that it doesn't. It's usually about how people look, or treating them a different way. Like, you see a lot of girls of color specifically get dress coded, I think because they have more curves or because their skin is just different. So it was always really weird to see when a white girl who has -- I don't want to be rude, but -- kind of a flatter figure, wear a crop top and not get anything in trouble about them but the next day, a Latina girl who has curves wears the exact same shirt and gets dress coded like five different times. So, there is that little bit of discrimination that went on in our school, I think just people didn't really notice. Some people have the privilege of not noticing, but it was definitely there.
“It makes me feel kind of frustrated, because I look at all these other countries, and the virus is like, almost gone. They have less restrictions than us and it's because they shut down immediately. They took it seriously. Like, if we would take it more seriously in the beginning, then we wouldn't be having this. But I want to go out. Going to the grocery store is something I sadly can't even do. Like I can't even have the simplicity of that. So it makes me really frustrated that I can see people post on social media having these parties and going out and not wearing masks or staying a distance from each other. So I think it is very frustrating, because I can't do any of that, just because I'm trying to be safe. It's just a courtesy. Like, you don't want to put other people in harm's way. I don't understand why so many people don't listen.
“I like people's newfound love for sanitation. So, I wish that would stay, where people would wash their hands every time and sanitize before they go anywhere or come back from places. I like that. But I do wish that we can commune again, even just meeting at a park and having a picnic. I do wish we could do that in the near future. It's so simple but I want it so badly.”
Quotes edited for clarity.
Being a young person with asthma, health concerns have been paramount for Ari this past summer. Maria and Lynda Krupa are also deeply concerned about their physical and mental health; read their page for more details about how they’ve navigated the coronavirus pandemic so far.
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