COVID-19 has shut down schools, workplaces, sports, and many other things we all used to partake in daily. As it has affected us all in one way or another, winter breaks are going to look very different this year. Students across Jefferson have to find different things to do over break that would not normally be a part of their winter break routine.
Many students are taking the extended time at home to try new hobbies. Some of these things they may not have been able to partake in without this time at home.
“I’m playing a lot of golf because it’s something I’ve picked up over quarantine,” junior Jason Yi said. “It’s a sport where you can stay socially distant from people while you’re playing.”
COVID-19 has also made normal plans very difficult. With the risks that come with traveling and being with other people, plans that people had may have to be cancelled.
“If there wasn’t any COVID I would probably be going to India right now, because I haven’t gone there for two or three years,” sophomore Vihaan Mathur said. “Our plan was to go during winter break this year, but, because of COVID, obviously we can’t go.”
While winter break is meant as a break for students, some are taking advantage of this time off to participate in extra activities to help bolster their academic lives.
“I have this two day extracurricular program called STEP where me and my friend taught public speaking and leadership skills to over 20 middle schoolers,” Mathur said.
If students are able to make plans during the break, it has to be taken into account that they could be cancelled at any moment due to COVID-19.
“We’re planning to meet one of my friends who lives in Nashville,” freshman Niasha Patel said. “It’s not set in stone so we’re thinking about going to Asheville – somewhere in the mountains.”
Even places we all know and love, such as the Reston Town Center, cannot be visited the same way this year. This is an upsetting fact that we are all learning to deal with. Traditions that people may have with friends and family may have to be done differently this year.
“I would normally go to more public places more often like the Reston Town Center ice skating rink,” senior Maria Izzi said.
Students all around Jefferson are trying to make the best of the current situation even if that means sacrificing things that would normally be a part of every winter break.
“When school is on, I feel like social interactions are already happening and because of COVID I, personally, wanted to travel to Asheville because of a lack of social interactions,” said Patel.