I want my family members to heal from the wounds that they have long concealed. I have learned that these feelings of loneliness during quarantine are best battled with self-expression.
With my five hour commute to UBC cut down to five seconds from my bed to my desk, the pandemic has also provided me more time to get my school work done, which in turn, has left me with more time to do things I enjoy.
One night, I sat on my side of the kitchen wall, watching something on my phone over the sound of my friend’s younger brother watching something on his, and our laughter synced momentarily.
It was the loneliest sound in the world.
My graduation ceremony consisted of a two-hour Zoom meeting that I wasn’t featured in, which I watched in a formal dress and bathroom slippers with a newly-opened bottle of vodka.
From mid-March until the end of May, far away from my family and friends and in a city I was still a newcomer to, I experienced what was my self-isolation period in Amsterdam.
Yet, I was envious of all the Snapchats and Instagram stories of people having mass gatherings, partying downtown and living like we weren’t still in a pandemic.
