A day in my life during COVID-19 is sometimes hectic one.

I have a sick (not COVID-19) family about a two hours drive away from me and I visit when I can. Helping my parents complete tasks from the beginning from the end of the day, this has been my life for the past 6 months, it certainly has not been easy due to the constant traveling I am doing. 

Thankfully for the last few days however I have been in Guelph, so I can do a more proper “day in my life” description.

Waking up for me is different every day, I have insomnia so it's not always easy to go to sleep early, but I try whenever I can.

10:00 am: Usually when I wake up, the first thing that I do is look at my phone. I check Instagram and Twitter to not only be updated on my friends' lives, but I also try my best to keep up to date with the current state of the world. Covid hangs heavy in my mind like I'm sure it does for most people. Having my parents being immunocompromised always keeps me on the lookout for COVID updates and changes. Eventually I find myself going to the washroom and then grabbing myself a cup of coffee to get ready for the day (this is usually my only breakfast). If I miss classes, I always re watch the lectures and take notes while I drink my coffee and finish up some assignments. I'm also always on courselink, making sure that I am up to date on my assignments, and fix my calendar accordingly. 

11:30 am:  My roommates have 2 border collies, one being only 5 months old. So usually after my morning coffee I go see the doggies. I have a very close bond with them and make sure I play with them for at least an hour a day when I am in Guelph. Border Collies are very high energy dogs, so they usually give me the puppy dog eyes until I play with them for a bit longer. I give them some of their favorite snacks (lettuce and carrots) and return to my room once again.

12:30 pm: I'm a huge foodie, so I am usually now cooking something yummy. I'm a vegetarian, and I have lots of cookbooks that I will read before I start cooking, always looking for something new and exciting to eat. When I don't feel like thinking about my food however, I usually cut up some butternut squash and put it in the oven with some oil. While it's cooking i usually put some red onions and garlic in a pan, roast that up, and mix that with some lime juice once cooked. I brush everything on the squash once its out, and yumm. Ill watch some lectures in the background of this, just to make sure I watch everything I need to be fully updated. I am mostly in my room nowadays. So once my meal is ready, I take it upstairs to eat.

2:30 pm: After finishing up any remaining work, I usually call my brother. He is my twin and we are incredibly close. He lives in Waterloo however so we make sure to talk each day and see how each of us are doing. My family, like I said, has been going through alot, so it's very important for me to check in on my family and make sure they are happy and mentally well in these difficult times. We usually talk for about an hour, and then I continue with my day. I am usually jotting notes in the background or continuing to do my days work after my phone call. 

4:30 pm: I am always very indecisive about dinner so it always takes me about an hour to decide on what I even want to cook. I'm either looking at my cookbook or browsing vegetarian recipes online, looking for something new and interesting. Although I hate to admit it, I usually just end up going with delicious pasta, but at least I try! I enjoy painting a lot, so I do that pretty often at this time of day. It's a great stress reliever and creativity driver. I'm not a great artist however, so I know they aren't going to be in any galleries any time soon. I usually just end up gifting my paintings to my friends or boyfriends, who are very sweet and supportive of my new hobby even if it looks like it was done by a toddler. I'm certainly a lucky girl. 

6:00 pm: At this point I almost always take a shower. I dont always wash my hair but I love being clean. I tidy my room always and clean my sheets/do laundry if I have to. I then make my favorite angel hair pasta with grated parmesan, always a great meal. Once I'm positive that I have no other school work to do for the day, this is about the time that I begin to wind down and eat. 

6:30 pm: I am a huge fan of Youtube. I watch certain youtubers every day and am always searching for more content to enjoy. So at this point i'm basically always on Youtube. Either that or I go to my job, I work at the mall later at night 2 days a week. So i'll take the bus there and work until my shift ends. 

10:30 pm: My shift usually goes on until now or a bit later. Either way I usually have some type of snack. I know it's not great to eat this late but I can't help it! I'll either watch a movie or listen to some music at this time. Sometimes my boyfriend comes by to spend the night after my shifts, since he also works, be brought doughnuts tonight and they were amazing! My parents will usually talk to me around this point as well, usually getting some pictures of my little Shih Tzu at home. I love getting pictures of her when I'm not there to snuggle with her. 

11:30 pm: My boyfriend and I are currently watching Peaky Blinders on Netflix, so that's usually what i'm watching at this time. We are only in the first season but I can't wait to see what will happen as we keep watching! I'll make some sleepy tea before bed to try and help my insomnia. I usually hit the pillow at 12:30, but I'm tossing and turning for the next few hours. There's alot to keep me up, especially if I have a lazy day, I hate disappointing myself so when I don't complete all of the goals I set in a day it's hard for me to not think about it. I'm so glad that I have my loved ones to talk to and be comforted by, I have a wonderful support system during this difficult time in the world. Eventually around 2:00 or 2:45, I eventually fall asleep, ready for the next day to begin!

That is a normal day in my life during Covid-19! I thought for a while about what kind of context (video, audio, photo, text) to do this project in. I decided to do just text because most of my life in Guelph is spent in my room or living room, there's just not much to show. I've also always enjoyed writing rather than other styles of doing work, so this worked perfectly for me. 

I hope you all are staying well and safe during this trying time. I know it is difficult, but thankfully there are classes like this to ensure we understand fully what is happening in the world, where we can share that information with those around us. Have a great day!