Being in a Classroom during Fall Semester 2020

     I will say it again and again, "this semester is like no other". The University of Kentucky opened its doors for the Fall 2020 semester with a lot of new and unexpected changes. Classes are either fully online, hybrid, or in-person.  I consider myself one of the lucky ones because I get to have an in-person class. Most might disagree with me because they get to stay at home and do all their work, but I think by having in-person classes I get a little taste of normalcy. I thought I was getting a glimpse of pre-COVID times but unfortunately, the classroom setting has also changed.

    My Spanish 310 class is in McVey Hall. The classroom is huge but only 20 people can be in there at a time to properly social distance. We must have masks on at all times during class. Having a mask on at all times is equivalent to having a distraction in class in my opinion. Our desks are all spread out which means not many conversations are happening either. I honestly feel slightly awkward being in a classroom. All of our worksheets have to be completed on computers because we are not allowed to turn in physical things to limit human contact. The instructor also stands behind plexiglass which is something I am not used to and I will never get used to it. We don't really do any group work because again the goal is to social distance and that doesn't work well with group work.

    As you can understand from the picture that I tried painting, in-person classes are not the same at all. I rather stay at home, to be honest. This semester is truly like no other and the thing is will this ever go back to normal. I honestly am afraid to say this but I think not.

This is what the front of my classroom in McVey Hall looked like.

    

My classmates and their masks!

    

I am in a Sorority and I Feel Like I am Being Blamed

     The University of Kentucky tested all of its students and employees for COVID-19 at the beginning of the semester. After all the tests were completed UK decided to retest everyone who takes part in Fraternity and Sorority Life because we had a high positivity rate compared to the rest of the population that was also tested. I was tested twice in a week's span. I was negative both times. I am in a sorority and I have been following all the regulations. I am aware that some of my fellow peers that are in FSL may not follow the regulations but I believe clumped into this mold that I am not following the rules so I must be retested. I honestly think that if there are students who are parking in activities that can spread the virus they should be punished for their actions or take some course that shows them the consequences that lad to this virus. I don't think retesting a group of people should be necessary because it is not the group as a whole that are doing these activities. I stay at home for the most part. I haven't been going to any large gatherings. I shouldn't be blamed!

Below I have attached the article posted by UKY on Phase 2 retesting.

UKY's Article on Phase 2 Retesting

What a Time to be Alive

 I am gonna paint a picture to explain what a normal semester looked like for me before Covid-19 happened. I was able to walk freely without feeling like I was suffocating in a mask. I also think I had never worn a face mask before this time because I never had the need to. I could go to the gym and use whatever workout equipment without having to social distance. I could go to mass gatherings without feeling like I was doing something wrong. I was able to attend office hours in person and not via zoom meetings. I hope you are probably reading this and saying "wait we can do those things now".     

The sad truth is that now all those things above I took for granted. No one expected a pandemic to happen and also we were never prepared for a pandemic either. I will be first to admit with no shame I hate it here. 2020 is not fun and I am sad to say these are definitely not the roaring 20's. 

Now, my semester looks a little like this. I wake up only to walk downstairs for breakfast and walk back upstairs to my room to start classes via Zoom. Most of my classes take place online while one class is still in a classroom but its honestly a hassle. The classroom setting is a little different now. You must keep your face mask on at all times and the teacher must remain behind plexiglass. The campus looks gloomy and almost like a ghost town with almost everything being online. The only people I really get to see are my 3 roommates and the handful of students in my in-person class. I can no longer go to the gym and workout out with my best friend by my side because social distancing is really big right now. I am not complaining by any means but I will say I miss who things once were. I hope by the time you are reading this your semester is looking like mine before Covid-19 because I really do not wish this upon anyone. 

Being a Karen During the Pandemic

 As you can tell by the title my name is Karen Alesandra Ramos. My name is somewhat special during this time because it is mostly used in memes as a joke. The name "Karen" is currently used to define someone that always has a bone to pick whether that is with the manager or something she doesn't agree with. "Karen" usually isn't the nice lady either. Although I am probably the nicest Karen you will ever meet in my opinion. I am a junior here at the University of Kentucky. I am pursuing a degree in Psychology. My ultimate goal is to become a Pharmacist. I am from a small city in Kentucky called Bowling Green, Ky. My parents are originally from Honduras. So I do consider myself Honduran and I am very proud of that. Since my family consists of mostly immigrants, we roll with the punches because anything can come our way. I don't think we were prepared to roll with the punches when a pandemic came along. I am very excited to record my time during the pandemic while in college because I think this is something that a lot of people have never experienced and who knows if this is something we will ever experience again. Below I will leave you with a picture of me along with a picture of your typical "Karen" and I'll let you decide if my name is the middle-aged white woman who likes to knit pick everything or if it is just the girl who is trying to figure out this whole pandemic thing!