It was a long semester to say the least.
After starting the spring on campus, we ended in quarantine. It is honestly crazy, looking back at the last 100 or so days. I would have to say ignorance is bliss. At the same time, bliss can be found even when ignorance leaves. I find bliss talking to my friends from Oberlin over the phone or on Zoom. I find bliss laughing with my family members. I find bliss in sports as well.
Coming home has caused me to become re-energized when it comes to the sport of football. I train every single day for football. Now that the semester is over, when I am not training for football I find myself searching for things to fill my time with. Simultaneously, I have no motivation. It is confusing. I am actually pushing myself to write this blog. I am trying to create positive momentum in my life so that I can be productive throughout the summer.
It is hard when everything is up in the air.
It seems that some people have decided COVID-19 is over and are going to live their lives as if everything is normal. I know these behaviors can’t have a positive effect on the future, and it makes me wonder how it will affect schools opening in the fall. Also, I wonder even if schools open in the fall, what will campus life be like. There is no way it can be as it was before. At the same time, as long as precautions are taken, I am confident schools can return to campus. Many are referring to COVID-19 as the “new normal.” If this is the case, I know that Oberlin College will be the school that goes above and beyond in turning the “new normal” into a great learning environment for us students.
In terms of athletics, I like the direction I’m moving in. This is the fastest I have ever been. Training for sports is a peaceful activity for me. It allows me to get my mind off of the reality of the world. Another activity that gets my mind off of things is watching movies. The other day I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. To me, the message of the movie is that nothing good can come from trying to live in the past. I feel that that is a really good message for the world we are living in today. COVID-19 isn’t going to go away, so it is important that we move forward and continue to create our lives in the future instead of living in the reality of the past.
Looking back at finals season, I feel it was well-adjusted for the situation. Finals season is always a stressful time of year, but professors made our finals more flexible, which helped me adjust to taking them at home. One thing I really enjoyed was doing a project on Malcolm X for my religion and violence class. As I said in a previous blog, I had been reading his autobiography for enjoyment and I was able to do a project on him, thanks to the flexibility of the final project assigned by my professor. I feel that my paper on Malcolm X was the best paper I have written since being in college and I was very proud of my work when submitting it.
I also want to congratulate the graduating senior class. I know it had to be tough on them to have to leave campus their last semester of senior year. Personally, I have spoken to a few of them while in quarantine and their plans for the future are tremendous. I am truly excited to see how each and every one of these graduates changes the world for the better.
Sophomore year of college certainly was a period of growth. I am very proud of what I accomplished in and outside of the classroom. The future is bright and I can not wait to see what it has in store for me.
