Reality of College During a Pandemic

School shopping is one of my favorite things to do before a new school year. From new graphic band tees to Lululemon leggings, I always enjoyed getting a new wardrobe to display the new persona I wanted to put on each school year. This year was different. Never in my short life did I think I would be shopping for cute masks to go with my outfits in college. The Coronavirus pandemic has struck the lives of every person on this planet.

I remember coming home from a spring break trip to Colorado when news hit that the city of Houston was going on a mandatory quarantine. Back in March, I thought this would have lasted maybe a month, but then I would be able to graduate from high school and head towards a normal freshman year in college. Now here we are; six months later and we are still being forced to social distance and wear masks in order to attempt to remain healthy. The addition of masks to my day to day life was not bad when I still lived at home in Houston. I would just grab a mask and go to the store, or go to the beach. Now, here in Norman, a small city where everything is close together, the only time you take your mask off is to sit down and eat at a restaurant. There is a ridiculous amount of times I have walked out of my dorm, ready for my class that I am already late for, and I have to run back and unlock my door to get a mask. Those classes that are a thirty minute walk in the middle of the day are a bit of a challenge, being that it is 85 degrees outside. You walk into class with sweat dripping down your face, but you can’t get any relief. The mask stays on at all times. And on top of that, you can't take a sip of water after that long walk! The mask stays on at all times. Food and drink, including water, are not allowed in any building other than restaurant facilities. You can’t go into Chipotle and sit at any booth now. The tables are separated and social distanced. The dining halls have tables for one person only, so you can’t even sit with your friends. I went through sorority recruitment and it was virtual (which I am not even mad about because we didn’t have to run to every house, sweating our butts off). One of my classes this semester is a workout class at the campus gym. There is a mask requirement while you workout. This is hard because you are not able to fully breathe. Luckily, there are mask relief rooms where you can go for a second and take a sip of water without your mask. We can’t go out and go to bars or frats because of the pandemic. There is an outbreak in my dorm so I have been cleaning and disinfecting everyday. Now, I am not complaining about a small mask because people are on their death beds due to this disease, but it is just a major change in our lives. All I want to do is go on a walk without a mask, or go to the sorority house for a movie night, but if everyone continues to go out and party, there will be no stop. Universities will close and college will be fully online. We will be kicked out of our dorms and there goes our freshman year.

I am trying to remain positive during this time. Staying in and getting my homework done early has been my daily routine in order to do my part in stopping this pandemic. I hope it all ends soon and we can go back to being free of masks and the fear of a sickness.

I am linking below some of my favorite masks that are still super stylish!

Cute shopbop mask that ties around the head!

These Rag and Bone masks come three to a pack and hook behind the ear. The colors are neutral so they are great if you watch something to go with everything. They are also great for those workout classes that you have to wear a mask for!

These Tory Burch masks come five to a pack. They have a lot of different color and pattern options.

Stay home and wear a mask.

XOXO, amz