Jimmy, May 2020
Dear Student X,
The pandemic has changed my life drastically. What I used to take for granted is no longer available to me. I can’t go to school, see my friends, or play any of the sports I love (except for golf). My experience in quarantine has been very typical compared to many other students, though I have luckily been able to do many things that others cannot. I have visited my lake house on Lake Winnipesaukee almost every weekend of the pandemic, and it’s very weird to see how people in New Hampshire are handling the pandemic compared to Massachusetts. Very rarely do you see people socially distancing or wearing masks in New Hampshire; it’s almost like there isn’t a global pandemic going on up there. I guess that resonates well with their motto, “Live Free or Die”.
As I mentioned before, I have been fortunate enough to golf after Governor Baker announced the reopening of golf courses on May 7th, 2020. Since I work at Sandy Burr in Wayland, I have been able to play as much as possible even with my friends at times. I have also been permitted to start working at Sandy Burr cleaning golf carts, golf balls, and any other jobs necessary. I have also learned a few new hobbies, such as producing music, playing the ukulele, and juggling different objects. The extended period of quarantine has permitted me to expand my skills in my free time.
This pandemic has also changed my social life in many different ways. I have distanced from a few friends while also reconnecting with many. Walks and other recreational activities outdoors have become the new normal for me, as they are one of the few ways to safely practice social distancing while seeing others. However, some people seem to be growing impatient and seeing their friends now that the weather has gotten warmer. It’s important to remember that we are still in the midst of a pandemic and selfish acts such as these are only going to lengthen our period of quarantine.
If there was one piece of advice I’d like to give to Student X, it would undoubtedly be to not take anything for granted. I know many people tell you this throughout your life, but it’s important to keep a perspective on all that you are entitled to and how easily all of it can be taken away. If somebody told me four months ago that I would be ending my junior year classes through Zoom, I would probably call them insane. My life changed before my eyes.
I wish you the best,
Jimmy
Jimmy, June 2020
Wherever I look, people are hurting. People are fed up. With each other, the system in place, and more specifically, society. The murder of George Floyd has ignited protests across the country, both violent and non-violent. Now more than ever, people across the country are doing their part to create an equal and just country. Virtually everybody is in agreement with the BLM movement, but there is a lot of controversy surrounding whether protests should be violent or nonviolent. Many believe that rioters have every right to express their anger towards the systematic racism that has taken place for the past 400+ years in our country, while others don’t condone the riots in any manner. Recently, Barack Obama released a statement on social media that stated, “If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.” This statement made by Obama felt extremely powerful for me in so many ways. As a black leader in this country, Obama essentially condemned the rioters and looters that are countering police brutality with more violence. I firmly believe that two wrongs will never make a right, and it pains me to say this because I am in no way undermining the systematic racism in our country. I just don’t agree with the business owners, especially those who are black, who have their lives turned upside down overnight because a group of looters decided to destroy their business. It doesn’t seem fair to me because they are getting roped into this mucky situation for no reason.
When I first saw the police officers with riot gear, I thought about the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Not because of what each protest was fighting for, but because of how each protest had such presence. The protestors wanted to unify the American white nationalist movement and strongly opposed the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue. Today, however, Governor Ralph Northam announced the removal of the statue following the outburst of the BLM movement. When I head about this, it all sort of came full-circle for me in the sense that I began this year learning about the events in Charlottesville and how outrageous some of those protesters were, and here we are today, watching looters take advantage of the BLM movement to steal from different stores. Obviously, the movements are black-and-white from one-another, and I fully support the BLM Movement and not the Unite the Right rally, but I found it unique how these two completely different movements had similar ways of getting their messages across.
Dear Student X,
The pandemic has changed my life drastically. What I used to take for granted is no longer available to me. I can’t go to school, see my friends, or play any of the sports I love (except for golf). My experience in quarantine has been very typical compared to many other students, though I have luckily been able to do many things that others cannot. I have visited my lake house on Lake Winnipesaukee almost every weekend of the pandemic, and it’s very weird to see how people in New Hampshire are handling the pandemic compared to Massachusetts. Very rarely do you see people socially distancing or wearing masks in New Hampshire; it’s almost like there isn’t a global pandemic going on up there. I guess that resonates well with their motto, “Live Free or Die”.
As I mentioned before, I have been fortunate enough to golf after Governor Baker announced the reopening of golf courses on May 7th, 2020. Since I work at Sandy Burr in Wayland, I have been able to play as much as possible even with my friends at times. I have also been permitted to start working at Sandy Burr cleaning golf carts, golf balls, and any other jobs necessary. I have also learned a few new hobbies, such as producing music, playing the ukulele, and juggling different objects. The extended period of quarantine has permitted me to expand my skills in my free time.
This pandemic has also changed my social life in many different ways. I have distanced from a few friends while also reconnecting with many. Walks and other recreational activities outdoors have become the new normal for me, as they are one of the few ways to safely practice social distancing while seeing others. However, some people seem to be growing impatient and seeing their friends now that the weather has gotten warmer. It’s important to remember that we are still in the midst of a pandemic and selfish acts such as these are only going to lengthen our period of quarantine.
If there was one piece of advice I’d like to give to Student X, it would undoubtedly be to not take anything for granted. I know many people tell you this throughout your life, but it’s important to keep a perspective on all that you are entitled to and how easily all of it can be taken away. If somebody told me four months ago that I would be ending my junior year classes through Zoom, I would probably call them insane. My life changed before my eyes.
I wish you the best,
Jimmy
Jimmy, June 2020
Wherever I look, people are hurting. People are fed up. With each other, the system in place, and more specifically, society. The murder of George Floyd has ignited protests across the country, both violent and non-violent. Now more than ever, people across the country are doing their part to create an equal and just country. Virtually everybody is in agreement with the BLM movement, but there is a lot of controversy surrounding whether protests should be violent or nonviolent. Many believe that rioters have every right to express their anger towards the systematic racism that has taken place for the past 400+ years in our country, while others don’t condone the riots in any manner. Recently, Barack Obama released a statement on social media that stated, “If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.” This statement made by Obama felt extremely powerful for me in so many ways. As a black leader in this country, Obama essentially condemned the rioters and looters that are countering police brutality with more violence. I firmly believe that two wrongs will never make a right, and it pains me to say this because I am in no way undermining the systematic racism in our country. I just don’t agree with the business owners, especially those who are black, who have their lives turned upside down overnight because a group of looters decided to destroy their business. It doesn’t seem fair to me because they are getting roped into this mucky situation for no reason.
When I first saw the police officers with riot gear, I thought about the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Not because of what each protest was fighting for, but because of how each protest had such presence. The protestors wanted to unify the American white nationalist movement and strongly opposed the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue. Today, however, Governor Ralph Northam announced the removal of the statue following the outburst of the BLM movement. When I head about this, it all sort of came full-circle for me in the sense that I began this year learning about the events in Charlottesville and how outrageous some of those protesters were, and here we are today, watching looters take advantage of the BLM movement to steal from different stores. Obviously, the movements are black-and-white from one-another, and I fully support the BLM Movement and not the Unite the Right rally, but I found it unique how these two completely different movements had similar ways of getting their messages across.