The pandemic from my point of view

In my opinion, I think that the US could have prevented the spread of COVID-19. They were not requiring people to quarantine when returning from overseas. President Trump was saying, "We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China. We have it under control. It's going to be just fine." There were many people going to parties on the beaches of Florida for spring break and saying things like, "If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I'm not gonna let it stop me from partying," After the state of Colorado issued a stay-at-home order, Coloradans were saying that this violates their constitutional rights. My opinion is that young americans, in particular, feel like they cannot be told what to do. They have lived in a generation of constant technology and "fake news". They don't take things seriously because they have this idea that everything will be taken care of for them.

I am currently living in Colorado, USA. I did not have any intentions of going to the US until July, when our Beijing International school released for the school year. My family had plans to spend Chinese New Year in China and do fun trips around the city of Beijing. After things started closing and I started needing my temperature checked every time I left my apartment, I got worried. I got worried that I could get sick and no one would be able to care for my three children. Most of my family lives in Colorado and I was alone in Beijing, caring for my family. I scheduled a flight that left Beijing on February 5^th. The flight was very expensive and long. We had to fly into Hong Kong and had a long layover in Los Angeles before arriving in Denver.

When we initially came back to the United States, we self-quarantined for 14 days. The CDC told us that they recommended us to quarantine, but we did not have to. I was worried that we could have caught the virus on the airplane. I did not want to be responsible for bringing COVID-19 to Colorado. After the 14 day quarantine, we enjoyed spending time with my mom, my grandma, and my dad. We would meet them for lunch, sledding, a mall trip, or a movie.

My kids continued going the Beijing school after Chinese New Year. Online school started on February 9^th. The online school was challenging and the hours were really difficult for my kids. I didn't like them staying up so late (past midnight). So, I made the decision to put them in a public school in the US. They started US school on March 4^th. This was a difficult decision for me because the US schools were previously not up to my standards. In the past, I had felt like class sizes were too large and the US schools focused too much on tests. However, I really needed my kids to lead a schedule with normal hours. They were also craving the social interaction that comes with going to an in-person school. When they first started school in the US, we experienced a bit of racism. My kids are not Asian, but some of their classmates and their classmates' parents said some very inappropriate things. We heard things like, "You must eat dogs" and "You are going to spread Coronavirus to all of us"

On March 5, Colorado saw 2 cases of the coronavirus in the state. This continued to increase. Around March 11th, it became apparent that the schools were going to close in Colorado. On March 12th, all DCSD after-school athletics, school clubs, and activities were cancelled until at least April 6. On March 13th, they announced that schools will close for an additional week after spring break. On March 19th, Governor Polis signed an executive order suspending in-person learning in public and private schools across the state from March 23 to April 17.

I had been using library books to teach lessons to my students and this became no longer possible. I even tried to return my library books, which was not allowed either.

My daily life consists of waking up and drinking tea while watching the news. I then make sure that my kids get started on their online assignments for the day. I usually take a trip to the grocery store because my three kids eat a lot and empty the refrigerator. Grocery shopping has become difficult because americans are panic buying.

When I return from the store, I double check all of my 3 kids' assignments to make sure that they have followed directions. They need help understanding lessons and directions. Then, I start planning my lessons for the evening. I am a teacher for an International School in Beijing. After I plan out my lessons, I go out for some exercise. I run or bike daily. I used to swim, but the gyms and recreation centers are now closed. At 6pm, I eat dinner. The time zone is different in the US than China, so I start teaching at 6:30pm. Then, I teach from about 6:30pm-midnight.

When a state of emergency was issued, I initially was so happy to see so many people outside. People were walking with their families, biking, skateboarding, skating, and playing frisbee. However, this started to get out of hand. I saw multiple kids playing on playground structures, people crowded the streets in the mountains, and people not maintaining a safe distance from each other. This led to the national parks being forced to close and the governor issuing a, "Stay at Home" order.

My daughter ended up in a situation where she was in pain and needed some teeth removed. We thankfully got this done before the dentist offices closed.

I really wish that americans would take on the view of togetherness, rather than looking out for themselves. People hoard grocery store items and leave little for others because they are only looking out for themselves.

Many young people say that they are not afraid of catching the coronavirus because they will recover just fine. The problem is that they could spread the virus to others that will not be fine.

I do have hope for our future, since I do believe that there are helpers in the US. There are young children that will go out and spread positivity with art on the streets.

There are also programs that are providing food to the children who cannot afford to eat.

I just wish that the majority of the american population took on the view of working together, rather than the minority. People are scared here and gun sales are on the rise because people want to arm themselves. I am personally more afraid of guns and people killing each other, than anything else in this world. "In Colorado, more than 14,000 background checks for firearms transfers have been received in the last week, compared to about 7,000 checks conducted in the same timeframe last year" (ABC News, March 21, 2020)