“Ding! Ding! Ding!” rings my phone as I wake up. It’s 8:15 in the morning and my phone is flooded with notifications. I’m receiving numerous texts, google classroom notifications, reminders, messages and emails from my teachers, friends, family and coaches. This is how my day of Safer at Home life begins. To start off my day, I begin doing my online schoolwork which mostly entails google classroom, online textbooks, Zoom calls and google docs.

Given that online school doesn’t take the entire day, I have the afternoon to do a variety of “physical distancing acceptable” activities. Since the sports seasons are canceled, including my sport of rowing, I do daily at-home workouts that are sent to me by my coach to stay active. Tired of being home all day, I also enjoy taking my dog for walks--anything to get outside while still following the rules of physical distancing. I’m also using this time to try activities I’ve always wanted to do but just never found the time for such as baking.

Although it took some adjusting, I am also now used to only talking and hanging out with my friends virtually and discovered a variety of things we can do from our phones and computers. Not only am I virtually hanging out with my friends I talk to every day, I’m also using this time to talk and catch up with my family, cousins or friends I don’t get to talk to as much. My favorite ways to have virtual fun with my friends are Houseparty, group FaceTime, Zoom and Netflix Party.

On these virtual apps, I’m able to play games, watch shows and movies, hang out and have fun with my family and friends despite being “quarantined.” Although this is an interesting situation, this Safer at Home living gives us the perfect extra time to stay fit and get in shape, do activities we never had time for before and virtually hang out with friends and family, especially those we don’t get to normally talk to or see as much in our everyday lives.

*Note: Houseparty’s Terms & Conditions state users should be at least 13 years old to use the app.*