The pandemic has changed lives at East, not for the better, but some look on the bright side.

According to the Chicago Tribune, overtime the pandemic has forced us to change the way we all live our lives. At first, it was when we were all forced to go on quarantine and that was when we were all affected. The quarantine changed our mental and physical health took over everything. Even though we are not in quarantine anymore we are still being affected at work and in school. The worst is that we may have to go on quarantine again because people will not take care of themselves, they think this is a joke when millions of people have died from this virus. In a random survey of 34 people, 31 said that the pandemic has changed their lives — but not for the better. 

 “In some ways, my lifestyle has not changed much, I used to be a teacher for young children and that made me a germophobe. I have always washed my hands a lot, always had hand sanitizer in my classroom, didn’t touch my face, I never walk in my house with my shoes, and I always change clothes and wash my hands when I come home – so, in that sense, nothing really has changed. I still do that I just do laundry and shower too. But what has changed is that I used to always be with my family and now I don’t see my family anymore. I live three houses away from my big sister, so we always had each other’s daughters. Sometimes they were here, sometimes my daughters were with her and now we don’t see each other. I also don’t see my mother who I used to see every day,” ELL teacher Mrs. Rodriguez said. 

Germophobic or not, for some people the changes in their lives throughout the pandemic haven’t been all bad.   

“Yes! The pandemic may not necessarily have been the cause, but I got married this summer and am expecting! This has been an exciting time for me — though I know not the same for all. As I mentioned before, I’ve been having to live a bit more intentionally and, though it can be difficult at times to feel motivated, it has left me more appreciative and happier for all I do have,” lead art teacher Mrs. Mikki Crespo said. 

Sadly, the changes that the pandemic made forced us to the social distancing which meant no more parties.  

“Solo que ya no salgo, no tengo reuniones sociales con amigos y no puedo ir a la escuela, ya no puedo ir a gym, no puedo ir a misa, solo voy a la tienda y regreso,” Morton College student María Diaz said. 

Something important that this pandemic made is getting us to realize how important our loved ones are. 

“Yes!  Overall, it has!  I have realized what’s really important in life, and I’ve become better at prioritizing the things that make my family and I happy. As much as we would love for things to be back to “normal,” a short amount of time to quarantine is worth the next 50+ years of life to live healthy,” English teacher Mr. Brad Reid said. 

Being at home all day just gives us more free time and we don’t know what to do with it. 

“During the pandemic, I have become much less social. Haven’t gone out to eat or to bars as much as before, and I am spending much more time inside I also have a lot more free time since most after school sports have been canceled, which means I have watched a lot of Netflix and Hulu!” math teacher Mr. Marek Sorensen said.

The biggest change through this pandemic was that it got us all closer to our family members.

“My life has improved in many aspects. I have more time with my kids, and it is great to really connect with them during this slower pace. But in other aspects, there are so many more things to worry about. I am concerned for my students not having social interaction at school and all their missed experiences. I worry about the student-athletes not being able to showcase their talents before they move on to college. And most of all I worry for everyone’s health and safety,” CrossFit teacher Mr. James Tsenes said.