Written by Savannah (Year 11)
In the midst of a global crisis, it seems surreal that the best thing a little Year 11 student such as myself can do is stay home and not make a fuss.
What with the lack of GCSEs, which I know my peers have mixed feelings about but which I personally rejoice at, I find myself with a copious list of things I want to do and a copious amount of time in which to do them.
During Easter Break, I learned morse code with my little sister Saralynn, with the sole purpose of gloatingly gossiping at the dinner table. I have also undertaken the learning of sign language with my brother. We were inspired by watching ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’, and we thought it fitting that we should have a form of communication that matches our other primal tendencies. I learned braille as well (because why not?), so if I go deaf or blind at least I’m covered. Another project was learning the countries, capitals, and flags of the world using Sporcle, a relatively useless but extremely satisfying undertaking. Of course, lots of baking has been done, but I must credit my mom with the crown as she has become a sourdough bread connoisseur and talks to her dough on a regular basis. Who can blame her?
I feel I am perpetually in the living room, yelling to ask what’s for dinner, or just yelling. This is my natural state of being and I am lucky to actually feel very content most of the time. In between projects and schoolwork, I have been able to consume scores of books that I never seemed to have time for before and spend lots of time with my rowdy family. The online course I’ve chosen to do is US Government Institutions, which I’ve found fascinating and rewarding. I’ve always wanted to better understand my country so I can answer the question that seems to be cropping up more often recently – ‘what went wrong?’
Don’t be fooled, my lockdown hasn’t been entirely productive. I think I’ve watched every single Jonah Hill movie ever made, an achievement I’m proud of, unlike having watched ‘Too Hot To Handle’. I am now on a quest to buy Jonah Hill pyjama pants (or trousers). My friends and I have enjoyed the novelty of Zoom parties, one of which involved me finally succumbing to the spirit I’ve always felt inside of me and dressing up as Lord Farquaad (Shrek theme – would recommend). I still have had multiple days where I’ve watched a whole season of The Inbetweeners and days when I just let the couch and my daydreams consume me, but such days are only natural and completely necessary. As a general rule, I’m happiest when I’m doing things, so I busy myself with random projects. For my Year’s students, in terms of commitments, this time is void, so I should hope that my classmates don’t feel guilty being swept up into the sweet clutches of Netflix or whatever clutches tickle their fancy, as this will be our last period of relatively free time before the flurry of Sixth Form work begins in the fall.
The important thing is to help stop the spread of the virus in whatever way we can, and if that means buying a Bane mask (oh yes I did), then so be it. I am sending my love to the school community and my best wishes to those with NHS staff and other key workers in their family, and I hope to set eyes on OHS and its familiar faces before summer.