By Annica Wu

    Having an excess of free time sounds like a dream, until it happens. Over time, I have simply run out of things to do. But the worst part of having a lot of time is not being able to spend it with people. 

   Being in quarantine gets lonely. Normally, I am used to spending time with friends having a picnic on my front lawn, taking walks and conversing about whatever comes to mind. These moments are hard to imagine today. 

  Now, I can only watch movies alone, converse with myself about mundane things, and take walks in solitary. Although it was relaxing at first, I have run out of movies to watch and started to reminisce about moments where I spent time with friends. 

   Zoom calls and online chatting are not as personal. I cannot see the emotions or the nuances in their communication or the complexities in their emotion through something so inorganic as texts. I never noticed the importance of genuine human connection before quarantine.

   My biggest fear is that even after everyone is able to leave their homes and venture out into society, human connections will never be the same. People will hug less, avoid holding large events or, worse, stop in-person meetings altogether.

  During this time, people have discovered that almost everything can be done online: meetings, shopping and school. And, it is often more efficient, quick, and easy to shift tasks online. I expected the process would be slower, but the virus has become a catalyst for our dependence on technology. 

  Institutions will discover how much cheaper and accessible shifting lessons and tests online is. AP tests and SATS may never be the same. 

   According to Collegeboard, AP tests are now 45 minutes and open-book instead of the usual two to three hours. The SAT has also moved online and will take place in September. Shopping in person will become less frequent. Quarantine living will soon become a way of life.

    However, despite the negatives, we have become more careful, washing hands and wiping down surfaces often. This pandemic is a wake up call for America’s broken and dysfunctional health care system that has failed at a crucial time like this. 

   Even after the pandemic is over, life may never return to normal as we knew it. The new normal will lack human connection and some may begin to forget what that felt like.