What Social Distancing Means to Me

What Social Distancing Means to Me

Ellie Maranda, Editor

Social distancing during this time is crucial to slow the spread of the virus and flatten the curve. However, it is also important to maintain contact with our loved ones. 

I’ve stayed in touch with those I’m close to through social media. I’ve always been someone who texts or calls my friends constantly, so this quarantine has been no exception. My friends and I send each other dozens of Snapchats and texts per day. I particularly enjoy the videos my friend Julia sends me of her baby brother, and the pictures my friend Zoe sends me of her adorable dog. We talk about everything from the state of the world right now to which TV shows we’re binge-watching. We even found a Chrome extension where we can watch movies together, so we’ve been doing that with some of our favorites. We FaceTime to do homework together or to catch up on the latest in our quarantine lives. We send each other funny TikToks, as well. Not only do I talk to the people I’ve known since junior high or high school, I’ve also started becoming closer with people who will be my classmates at the University of Iowa next year, including my roommate. I’ve met them through our Class of 2024 Facebook page, and have been really enjoying getting to know them. Most of the friends I’ve made so far are in the Honors program with me, and are living in the same dorm as me, which will be really nice when we move in and I can see them often. Knowing I won’t be going into my freshman year alone relieves a lot of my anxieties. If I didn’t live in the age of social media, I’d be so lost without being able to maintain contact with my friends, new or old. 

Besides social media, I’ve also seen my friends in person while following social distancing guidelines. It’s been so nice to be able to see them in person. Some of them I hadn’t seen since our last day of school in early March. We’ve met in parking lots and sat in lawn chairs or in our cars at least six feet apart. We’ve brought speakers, played fun music, and talked for hours. My friend Callie’s nineteenth birthday was last week, so we got her balloons and put “Happy Birthday!” signs on our cars to surprise her. It was great to be able to see her on her special day while still being safe. In addition to our parking lot hangouts, my best friend Zoe and I got together at a park to take “prom” pictures, which was really fun. Zoe’s family even made us bouquets full of purple and yellow flowers, which made our pictures that much more special. We had bought dresses in complementary colors months ago and were looking forward to spending our senior prom together, along with our friend Calvin. Even though it wasn’t exactly the same, I’m so glad we made the best of it. I’ve also seen my friends who double as my coworkers in person, while wearing masks, since the store I work at reopened this week. I hadn’t seen most of them since April, so it was really fun to spend time with them again. It’s been really nice to actually be able to see my friends while still following social distancing rules.

While this quarantine hasn’t been easy for any of us, staying in contact with those we’re close to while staying safe has been relatively easy thanks to things like social media, and hanging out while staying six feet apart.Whether through a screen on FaceTime or in person, I’ve really enjoyed seeing my friends.