Corona-Diaries: A Week in a Newspaper Staff’s Life

Junior+Marisa+Sandoval+and+her+dog+Charlie.

Photographer: Marisa Sandoval

Junior Marisa Sandoval and her dog Charlie.

Marisa Sandoval, Staff Reporter

April 10- I have taken this time to really catch up on sleep. There is not a morning I am up before nine. To no one’s surprise as a teenager, I go to bed way too late. I try to get outside for at least an hour every day. Today I did my favorite hike, Cross Peak, with my dog Charley. The best way for me to keep from going crazy is by spending time outdoors. 

 

April 11- Self-isolation has given people all over the world an opportunity to rediscover old hobbies and, in my case, new ones. I have always wanted to try out yoga classes but, now I have figured out my next best option. I have found out yoga outside with the sun shining cannot be beaten. I try to do 30 minutes of yoga a day. I use this app called Down Dog that allows me to practice a variety of yoga. My favorite videos to come please are flexibility. The best part is at the end of every session you take a minimap called savasana. Today I relaxed in the sun while I did yoga and enjoyed the first taste of spring. 

 

April 12- Today feels very odd and unreal. It is Easter and I do not get to spend time with my grandparents, cousins, aunts or uncles. It is an odd adjustment seeing the dinner table with a fraction of the usual faces. I zoomed my family members and we laughed, talked and enjoyed the little moments together. I am so lucky that I got to see some of my family today while others have to spend this holiday alone. 

 

April 13- Back to the daily grind! Distance learning is nice in some ways. I get to do schoolwork in my pajamas at any pace I please. My amount of work varies and today it was a lot more than usual. I have done a lot of writing today which was very fun. The sun is finally starting to shine all day. I did some of my homework outside to try and catch a tan but also to enjoy the gorgeous weather. I am thankful that this is occurring now because it has allowed me to spend time outside when I would usually be cooped up in a classroom. It is very important during this time to try and look for the silver linings. 

 

April 14- Little did I know doing absolutely nothing could be so exhausting. Today I did not have any homework so I took the day to relax. I took a long nap which I have not done in a very long time. I then spent the afternoon on the couch cuddling my dog Yoda and watching “Gilmore Girls” with my mom. By nine o’clock I was ridiculously bored of staring at the TV and doing nothing, so I decided to bake. I speedily made snickerdoodle cookies which were so delicious. Pretty boring day but everyone needs one of these everyone once in a while.

 

April 15- I started off my day watching my favorite movie, “Remember The Titans.” This movie is always a complete guarantee for me to cry. Watching the characters in the film be in school and participating in traditions makes me miss Reno High even more. I miss Red and Blue Fridays and cannot believe that I may not see my senior friends walk the yellow tiled halls again this year. Instead of sitting and being exhausted at a desk at school, I am reading a book outside. 

 

April 16- Self-care is always an essential thing in my life. Today I did not have any school assignments for distance learning so I took the day to treat myself. I laid in bed for a very long time and then got up at around 11:45 a.m. to cook my breakfast. Quarantine has put me on the weirdest eating schedule. I do not eat lunch until around 4:15 p.m. For breakfast, I cooked my mom bacon and pancakes then decided to do a face mask. I cleaned my room, organized my shoes and added decorations to my wall. I took my dog Charley on a nice walk where he enjoyed taking a nice swim and made it his goal to find the biggest stick. I lounged on the couch and watched some Netflix. Dinnertime rolled around so I made my favorite comfort food meal. Most people love warm soup or chicken nuggets, but mine is noodles with butter. SO simple yet SO delicious. Sometimes a lowkey day is what people need most.