24 Hour Play Fest
Being quarantined my freshman year of college is definitely not something I could have ever expected. All my planned activities and events were suddenly cancelled, and my normal life in college was put to an abrupt halt. I was forced to change so much in a short amount of time, which I admittedly struggled with my first few weeks back. However, I have found some positives of quarantine that have helped me tremendously with finding a new normal.
Since I attend college in Chicago but live in California, it was pretty difficult to see my parents on a regular basis. As such, a positive of being home is that I am now able to spend some much needed time with my family. Though we are confined to our house, my mother and I have been finding new ways to occupy ourselves while my father is away at work. Our latest obsession has been board games, mainly consisting of Rummikub, Uno, and Otrio. For anyone who doesn’t know, Rummikub is a tile game that requires its players to configure groups/runs of tiles based on color and numerical order. And, Otrio is a game consisting of differently sized circles that could best be described as a spin on tic-tac-toe. These three games are extremely fun, and offer hours of play without feeling repetitive or boring.
Another perk I have found since being home is the sunny California weather I get to experience. I mainly take advantage of the weather by sitting out on my porch to do schoolwork and by walking my dogs. As such, being home has also forced me to do quite a bit of cooking and baking, which I wasn’t able to do while living in my dorm. My favorite recipe I have baked thus far are cinnamon rolls, which I was always hesitant to do because of the amount of time it took to make. I figured now was my best chance to make them, and they ended up turning out great!
Last, since being home I have reinstated practicing some self-care habits I neglected while being away at college. I feel that when you are away from home and in a new space, it is easy to all of a sudden switch your normal habits. As such, I have been forcing myself to get in a steady routine. My routine nowadays consists of: waking up, starting on homework, eating lunch, a small YouTube/Netflix/TikTok break, more homework, walking with my dog, eating dinner, and then board games with my parents. Though my days are not nearly as eventful as when I was in college, having a steady routine has helped me tremendously in feeling productive and that my day was not wasted.