How have students at Arapahoe Community College felt since the strong changes brought on by COVID-19? #COVIDDiariesOfACC is a mini-series composed of non-fiction diary entries from students at ACC. Thank you to the student contributing writers for these pieces to publish on the Arapahoe Pinnacle.

By Reece Pierce

“Ice Ice-olation, Baby”

Covid-19 life sure is… something. I’ve stayed at home for the last two weeks, and aside from going on short walks around my neighborhood every now and then I don’t leave the house at all. I’m doing fine in spite of things, I have a lot of close connections online so I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on socialization.

Isolation has me massively prone to hyper-focusing. I’ve been drawing a lot – I pretty much draw all day, and that’s only slightly an exaggeration. I’ve straight up forgotten to eat on multiple occasions, which isn’t great, so I’m realizing my need for structure lately. I think outside of just how long all of this is going to last, the collapse of structure is what I’m most worried about. I’ve been worried about online classes since the possibility was first brought up, because of the lack of direct structure. It would be so easy for me to just neglect my classes from this point on, intentionally or not, and as someone with ADHD, I can absolutely see myself losing all motivation and being unable to keep up in this environment. Obviously I don’t want that to happen, and I’ll do my best to stay on track, but I will not deny I’m worried.

It’s been kind of fascinating to observe how the world responds to something like this. There are plenty of idiots, of course, but there are also so many people pouring out resources for others in need, giving their time and safety for research and treatment, and overall doing everything in their power to get through it. Perhaps I’m biased because I am one, but I fully believe the creatives churning out content right now shouldn’t be overlooked, either. People making art now, as well as the people who made all the shows being binge-watched and games like Animal Crossing, deserve just as much appreciation for providing something to turn to in a difficult time. I think a lot of perspectives are going to change drastically after this is over, and my biggest hope is that all the working-class people, medical professionals, anyone whose career is considered essential right now, and creators, too, are massively more appreciated.

Honestly, I’m praying that after all of this we dismantle capitalism once and for all. If everything that’s happened this last month hasn’t been enough to prove the system as it is fundamentally broken, nothing ever will.