Pandemic Albums: Conforming to the weight of the pandemic

Srishti Kaushik

Rather than buying coffee from a store or making a hasty tumbler of instant coffee, I have the time to make a nice real cup of coffee, iced or hot every now and then. The quality of my meals has increased greatly during these times (when I pull together the effort).

Srishti Kaushik, Staff Writer
June 17, 2020

Beginning her day early with eight o’clock Zoom meetings, Shibani Mitra-Kaushik gets to work. The whole day is filled with video and voice calls, from morning to evening. (Srishti Kaushik )

I never really noticed when my family got used to our current work situation. A lot of unspoken rules were set. We all know to be silent when walking by the closed doors of where my parents were working. We have a vague set of made-up hand gestures to let others know the nature of our call: muted, unmuted, video on, or video off.

In light of the pandemic, many teenagers, including me, are spending more time in the kitchen. Being stuck in the house all day obviously limited the activities possible to a very small scope, but immediately, social media influencers took hold of the situation.

In a forest of tomato cages, young tomato plants are finally taking hold of the soil and growing after a rocky start earlier in the season. I have always tried to invest as much time in the garden as possible, and this season, I sometimes find myself spending close to an hour gardening. (Srishti Kaushik )

Whether its Tik Tok, Youtube, or Instagram, cooking, baking, or drink-making videos have gone viral. I see my friends and other people from school posting their attempts at trends like Dalgona coffee and souffle pancakes on social media. In search of something to end our boredom, the pandemic has sent us to the most unexpected place in our houses: our kitchens.

You can now spend time doing crazy things with our pets or focus on that old garden your parents used to use in the yard. Go on bike rides or runs for a change of environment.

Going down our driveway to take a ride around the neighborhood, my sister gets a little creative in her biking technique. Biking has been a nice way to get away from the confining walls of our house and even the yards. (Srishti Kaushik )

Although most of us are still adapting, it has amazed me how the world is managing to conform to the weight of the pandemic on everything. It’s in these times that we’re

After taking a sprint around the yard, my dog takes a pause to listen to the landscapers working next door, before launching off again. During the pandemic, I’m starting to get more creative with how I’m exercising my dog. Thanks to her, I’ve been spending a lot more time outdoors. (Srishti Kaushik )

all realizing just how important the internet and social media are in connecting us. 

I think I can speak for most everyone when I say that despite all the efforts to normalize life in quarantine, we all just want to go back to “normal life.” When that day comes, I hope that we all come away with new skills and experiences that’ll make us value everything more.