QUARANTINE 2020: A REFLECTION

It has officially been four months since COVID-19 shut down the entire world. I still remember going into work on March 16 and finding out that we'd be shutting down at least until March 31. Little did I know that I'd still be housebound three months later . . .

I've since returned back to work and have almost been back for a whole month now (which, BELIEVE ME, is the most glorious feeling ever). However, I am aware that this virus is still out there. It's still claiming lives each and every day, and every day, the likelihood of another shutdown unfortunately increases. So, seeing as the past three months for everyone has been nothing but being stuck at home staring at the four walls of their homes, I've decided to share with you the things that made my quarantine a little less unbearable. So that if we do get exiled back into our homes, we've all got some idea as to what we can do to make the time pass a little faster.

WINDOW ZOO

Shortly after everything shut down, someone in my community came up with the bright idea to have kids draw pictures of animals you would find in a zoo and hang them in their front windows for people to see while they were on their walks. Seeing as I don't have kids but I'm basically a kid myself, I decided to hop on this trend and make some drawings of my own. Granted, they LOOK like they were made by young children, but I assure you, I drew them. They may not be as good as one would have expected from a nineteen-year-old, but at least you can tell what animal they're supposed to be *face palm.* I thoroughly enjoyed this activity because it not only got me back into drawing again (for about a week and then I threw my sketchbook into a drawer and traded it for my phone . . . oops), but it felt good to know that my drawings were putting a smile on my neighbors' faces in these troubling times.

(Below photos were edited with the Template app on my phone, which you can find here if you're an iOS user)

My fave drawing, which I named "Lionel the Lion."

TIKTOK

I'm one of those people who absolutely REFUSED to download TikTok before quarantine. I swore to myself that that app would NEVER appear on the home screen of my phone. But, like most people stuck in quarantine, I decided to download it as a joke. I thought, "Maybe I'll just watch some of the videos. Maybe they'll be funny . . ."

I kid you not when I say that within the first week of downloading this app, I was posting. Non. Stop. It's honestly one of the most addicting things I've ever downloaded! Maybe it's the fact that all of the videos that popped up on my "For You" page were genuinely videos that brought a smile to my face. Or maybe it was just the fact that I needed something to brighten my day. But between watching other peoples' videos and making my own, it just made quarantine seem so much better than it should have seemed.

I've linked my TikTok account here (feel free to follow me or just simply laugh at how silly I look in some of my videos) in case you're interested. But if I'm being completely honest, without TikTok, I'm almost positive that this shutdown would have taken a very serious toll on my mental health. Of course, my mental health still took quite the hit. But with this app, I was at least able to escape into a world where people were making absolute fools of themselves for other peoples' entertainment. And without that, I don't think quarantine would have been as "fun" (obviously that's not a 100% true statement, but I think you know what I mean).

30 DAY PLAYLIST COLLABORATION

I spotted this lovely idea on Zoella's Instagram (because a lot of the things I did during quarantine were inspired by her) and just knew that I had to participate in this with my friends on Facebook. Basically, you create a collaborative playlist on Spotify (which I didn't know you could do until she posted about it?) and share the 30 Day Playlist Collaboration graphic with your friends. I decided to make a group chat with my more musically inclined friends on Facebook and every day, I would send out a message for the song of the day (ex. Day 1 - Your go-to karaoke song) and explain my song choice. By the end of the 30 days, it was so crazy to see how different our tastes in music were, but it was so fun to be able to interact with them despite not being able to speak in person. All in all, it was a great activity for keeping contact with one another during such a difficult time. And anything having to do with music is always a plus, anyway.

Here's the graphic that I used in case you wanted to create a playlist collaboration of your own :)

ANIMAL CROSSING

The new update for Animal Crossing (Animal Crossing: New Horizons) was released shortly after quarantine hit on March 20. Granted, it was strictly designed for the Nintendo Switch, but it made people go NUTS. I remember watching Zoe Sugg's (aka Zoella, aka my favorite person in the whole wide world) vlogs from the start of quarantine and thinking, "Hey, that game looks kind of fun . . ." Unfortunately for me, I don't own a Nintendo Switch. And with being unemployed and literally being the worst money-saver in the world, I didn't exactly intend on buying the device AND the game. So, I decided to use my quick wit and headed to the App Store on my phone.

Lo and behold, THEY MADE AN ANIMAL CROSSING APP FOR IOS USERS! So, naturally, I downloaded it. For those of you wondering, it's called Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (iOS users can download it here, Android users can download it here), and while I haven't been active on it here lately, it definitely made quarantine go by MUCH quicker.

Basically, you get to design your own campsite and camper however you want. You also get to design your own little cabin, which I thought was the cutest thing EVER! But you get to interact with all of these different animals and become friends with them and it's honestly the most calming game I've ever played. You also get to travel to different places (Breezy Hollow, Saltwater Shores, Sunburst Island, and Lost Lure Creek) where you get to pick fruit, catch bugs, go fishing, and collect seashells. Oh, and you get to plant flowers in your garden at your campsite, which, how freaking cute is that?! There's also a feature within the app where you get to send different items to different islands and you get souvenirs in return. I got WAY too excited when I found out that one island gives you gourmet chocolate bars as souvenirs . . .

Honestly, this game helped me through some tough times over the course of quarantine. Besides, how can you not love a game that basically lets you travel to a completely different universe where you can talk to animals?!

"The Office (US)" became an obsession of mine during quarantine, so, naturally, I modeled my cabin after the reception area from the show for a while . . .

Some of the fish that you can catch in this game are INSANELY big. But that just adds to the fun, right?

My favorite photo of me and my bestie, Goldie (dear lord, this game has made me crazy!).

BANANA BREAD BAKING (OF COURSE)

It should be no surprise that I quickly hopped on the banana bread baking trend. I swear, it was like the one thing everyone was doing in quarantine. It was like I was seeing a new banana bread on my Instagram feed every day. So, of course, I had to make one of my own. I decided to stick with my trusty recipe from Food.com, but I decided to switch the recipe up by 1) using four bananas instead of three, 2) adding some brown sugar on the top before baking it, and 3) sprinkling some walnuts on the top before baking for a little extra crunch. All in all, it was exquisite and I will most definitely be making all of my future banana breads the same way.

I posted the recipe in a separate post, which you can find here. I figured this one was too long already to be including a full blown recipe . . .

AND FINALLY . . . NETFLIX

If there is one thing I can say that I did 24/7 in quarantine . . . it's watch Netflix. Honestly. I was watching it before, during, and after all of my meals. But the good thing is that I made it through every season of "The Office (US)," which, can I just say, is one of the greatest shows I've ever seen! Not only is the cast incredible, but it's just one of those shows that you can watch no matter what mood you're in and immediately have a smile on your face. My favorite thing about it is probably the relationship between Jim and Dwight. Gotta love those two . . .

I also got heavily involved in "Criminal Minds" recently because, HELLO?! Super attractive men working for the FBI? Um . . . OF COURSE I'M GONNA WATCH THAT! But seriously, it really is a good show. The attractive men are just an added bonus. I've always been a sucker for crime shows but never got around to watching "Criminal Minds" until now, but BOY, am I glad I did. I'm currently on the fourth season but it is literally my latest obsession. And I'm not even mad about that :)

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To summarize, quarantine for me was basically just lying around on the couch playing Animal Crossing and binge-watching Netflix. I know a lot of people picked up new hobbies, started their own little businesses, etc. But it's okay if you didn't really accomplish anything during quarantine because honestly? It was a pretty messed up time for everyone and we all dealt with it how we felt like dealing with it. There's nothing wrong with you for binge-watching every show on Netflix and putting on a few extra pounds because people deal with stressful times in very different ways. Some people use it as an excuse to shut down and focus on themselves while others use it as an opportunity for taking on new interests and launching their own business.

Bottom line is that it's okay to be unsure of what to do in these times because it's confusing for EVERYONE. Just know that whatever you are doing, you're doing amazing. Keep your head up because brighter days are ahead of you :)

As always, thanks for reading! I'd love to know what you've all been up to since quarantine started. Hopefully we don't get thrown back into another shutdown, but if we do, I think it's safe to say that you know what I'll be doing. Stay safe and healthy <3

Until next time :)