How are you feeling right now in the midst of a pandemic?

I will say that it feels kind of unreal. I’m having a hard time processing how it affects me and how it will continue to affect me — and the people around me.  Sometimes I kind of feel hopeless — its been going on for months now, and I don’t see a near end. Just seeing people around me not taking this very seriously, it’s very disheartening. I feel like it needs to be more of an effort from everybody. I have people telling me, “I’m perfectly healthy so I’m going to a party next weekend.” [laughs] I’ve had people argue with me saying those things. [laughs] I just have a hard time understanding how people don’t see their responsibility in this. They’re more like, “Oh it’s none of my business as long as I’m healthy, that’s good enough for me.” So it’s hard to feel good about it when I see those things from people — who’re close to me.

I honestly think a lot of  people are not educated enough about this topic. I don’t think they care enough to read the news or research at all, which is why I think they’re like “Oh as long as I’m healthy there’s not a problem.” But that’s not it. You have people around you that could be infecting, you can be part of the problem of spreading. If they’re not sick then they can’t get sick is what their mindset is telling them.

I’m concerned about how this is going to progress, how long it will last. I’m not confident in the answers the government is giving us. I don’t feel confident in the timeline. I think the uncertainty is the scariest for me.

What do you do to keep yourself sane?

I try to voice my opinions to them without being disrespectful. I try to be like, “Hey, well I read from the World Health Organization and it said that you should be careful because…” like I try to give them references, links — something more credible for them to look into so that they will understand it better. And that does make me feel a little bit better. A little bit more sane [laughs]. Overall, I’ve been trying to do my part, and that’s been something that makes me feel better about the situation — at least I’m trying. To keep myself more sane during the pandemic, I’ve been finding ways to connect with people —  through other means like watching movies online or playing games with friends or having video calls. Or maybe even reconnecting with friends that I haven’t spoken to awhile. There are different ways to keep myself busy without having to actually go out. 

Before the COVID-19 affected the U.S, how did you first react to the disease?

I think I didn’t really understand it very well. Nothing like this has really happened in my life — well up to this point. I don’t even know how to respond to it. It’s such a different thing. It’s unreal. It’s like a zombie apocalypse movie. [laughs] I guess there was this — as guilty as I might feel as I’m saying it — there was  sort of a relief that [the virus] was far from here and like, “Oh it will end before it will get here,” kind of this thing — I had this little bit of hope. It’s a feeling of terror at the same time feeling of relief. 

What concerns you the most from this experience?

I think a lot of things confuse me. Like, I’m confused at how the Chinese government handled it to begin with. I don’t understand why they didn’t do better to prevent the spread of it. I’m confused to how the American government handled it. I’m still confused. There are so many things that are happening now where I see people having big gatherings, some states not requiring mandatory masks, a lot of schools going back into action and having in-person classrooms — like I think there have been improvements — like more people are taking hygiene more seriously and schools requiring masks and schools offering hand sanitizers — but I don’t think that’s enough. It’s not enough to go back to how things were. And it doesn’t resolve just because you implemented a few more tissues or something. It’s still a serious problem. Even at the beginning of the pandemic, everybody was reacting over the top and now, cases are still rising so steadily, so quickly — and where I live it’s beginning to peak now — it’s confusing to me that people are not taking is seriously now even though it is still very serious. 

I’m concerned about how this is going to progress, how long it will last. I’m not confident in the answers the government is giving us. I don’t feel confident in the timeline. I think the uncertainty is the scariest for me. Also just having family members who are much older so I’m scared to visit them — like I haven’t seen my parents. That’s very concerning to me because I don’t know how long this will last but however long it is, I won’t be able to seem them in a long time.

What are some things that you have realized from this experience?

Well from like a broad perspective, I think I realized a lot about people in general. I thought everybody will take it seriously. I didn’t know what issues people would have with wearing masks but now I see people who can name 100 reasons of why they shouldn’t wear masks. It’s unbelievable to me to see people reasoning why they shouldn’t do basic things. Where do these come from? How do they come up with these thoughts? Is it that hard? I think a lot of realizations about people and their behaviors.

For myself, I always thought I was an introvert. All these personality tests told me that I’m introverted than extroverted, but even as an introvert, I can tell how not having social interactions can be difficult at times. It feels sort of lonely and sometimes, I want to go out and make more friends. I miss a lot of things that I had, and I think I’m realizing how many things I took for granted — even like simple things like going to a buffet [laughs]. You get to appreciate little things and people in your life, too. You appreciate who have reached out to you, those who are taking good safety measures, those who work in healthcare and essential workers. 

As soon as this is “over,” what do you wish to do immediately?

I think I want to go and book a flight and visit my parents. They don’t want me to do it until it’s over — I don’t know when that will be — but that’s the first thing that I’ll do. I miss a lot of things. I miss swimming, going out with friends in closed areas without being scared, I just miss normal things that I used to do.

What is one piece of advice you have for others?

I will say my piece of advice would be – get creative. Like there are so many things you can do, so many different alternatives that you can do. I would say, don’t be afraid to be creative to see what options you have. If you miss buffet, how about making your own buffet at home [laughs], if you miss the movies how about doing a Netflix party with your friends, you know? Like, there are different things you can look for and I’m sure you’re not the only one looking for it. Don’t just think it’s not going to happen and give up. Try to look for things that you enjoy but in a different way. Try to find new hobbies, too. This might be a good opportunity to get to know yourself more. 

What do you crave the most right now?

Right now, I’m feeling some — I’m really, really craving some hot pot. I love going to hot pot restaurants and making your own sauce. I love hot pot so much.

What brings you joy especially at times like this?

Having pets is very nice for me. They’ve been really comforting. They make it less lonely. Definitely, I think having good supportive friends. They are going through the same thing as I am — and they get me, they know how I’m feeling, they can rant with me. Having conversations about things that concern me and having someone listen — definitely brings me a lot of joy.