Matt Thomas is a freshman at Central Michigan University. For spring break, Thomas decided to go back to his hometown of Macomb, Michigan. Little did he know that he wouldn’t be leaving the house for the next month.

Macomb has the third most coronavirus cases out of all cities in Michigan. With the city having 3,992 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 354 subsequent deaths, Macomb residents have been ordered to stay inside their homes unless absolutely necessary. 

For the past 4 weeks, Thomas has been quarantined at home with his mother, father and Thomas’ two sisters. He rarely gets to leave the house, except for a solo bike ride every now and then for some sunlight and exercise. 

Life during quarantine has changed dramatically for Thomas. “Everything has changed really,” Thomas said. “My routine, my social life, my mental health, my fitness, my diet, my school performance, everything’s changed.”

Classes have not been easy for Thomas with the switch to online only. The classes that Thomas is most struggling with are public speaking and calculus.

“I had to record myself giving my speech for public speaking. That seemed pretty contradictory to me to be honest,” Thomas said.

Thomas also struggled with his calculus exams. He had to print off the exam papers, fill them out as he would in class, then take pictures of his papers and submit them on blackboard, all while on a lockdown browser and during a one hour time limit.

What Thomas misses most during quarantine is his life back up at CMU. 

“I miss going to parties and eating dinner with my roommates in the dining hall,” Thomas said. “I was just starting to build a life for myself up there.”

Thomas had plans on moving into an apartment on campus over the summer, but now he is nervous for what the future will hold. “There’s so much uncertainty,” Thomas said.

However, Thomas is very hopeful that the worst of the virus will be over by June. 

“It sounds bad, but it needs to get worse before it can get better. Eventually the curve will flatten then life will go on as normal,” said Thomas.

Netflix has become America’s pastime during the quarantine. Whether your rewatching your favorite old shows for the fifteenth time or binge watching an entire new series, Netflix has something for everybody.

Below is a chart that illustrates both the audience’s and Rotten Tomatoes scores for the most popular TV shows on Netflix.

As illustrated from the chart, one of the shows most beloved by the audience is The Office. Below is a word-cloud illustrating the most famous quotes from the series.

Central Michigan University sophomore Grace Kern is remaining on campus during the quarantine, despite the urge from administration to leave because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Because of the quarantine, living at CMU has changed drastically. Hallways are silent, laundry rooms are empty, and lobbies are ghost towns. With no social gatherings, only online classes, and most public buildings being closed, Kern passes the time any way that she can.

Kern finishes a puzzle that she has been working on for 3 days in between homework and online lectures.

Kern works at the technology help desk in the Park Library. However, because Governor Whitmer’s order to close all public places of amusement, the Park Library has since been closed. Kern now works the help desk from home, being “online” and available to students in need for her designated shift.

Kern gets her meals at Fresh Food Company dining hall here on campus during the quarantine. She waits at the designated six feet apart cones while waiting in line.

One of Kern’s favorite hobbies is playing her ukulele. Now during the quarantine, she has more time to practice. Her favorite song to play is “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis.

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I had the pleasure of taking my room mate, sophomore Grace Kern’s headshot photos. She was quite nervous about having her picture taken, and was very reluctant to get in front of the camera. I had to make some fun of the situation to get her to laugh so we could see that beautiful natural smile.

Shane and Katie discuss the movie that began one of the greatest sagas in cinematic history: “Iron Man”. Then they hit the streets to ask random people questions about the movie, but looking only for wrong answers.

Hello! My name is Katie Hixson, I’m a student at Central Michigan University and this is my blog for my JRN 340 class. I will be blogging about the different ways in which I practice self care for both the mind and the body. I believe that self-care is a necessity for good mental and physical health, and I hope to educate and encourage others to join me and treat ourselves with kindness.