April 2020 Update

Well, I managed to get two months into 2020 with updates before I dropped off. I blame COVID-19 for that. So… we are now approaching the end of April, and I figured it would be time for a March/April/Quarantine update.

My life has finally started to stabilize… so much so that I could film a video update and share some of what I’ve been feeling as an adoptee. If you’re interested, you can check that out here.

In the beginning of March I was feeling really anxious. I stopped sleeping, and every time I left to go to campus I felt dread rising up in me. I was very aware that it was highly likely many people were walking around with COVID-19 and unaware. I was also very aware that campus is packed with thousands of students and a perfect place for the virus to spread. While I was advising people to stay home as much as possible, I had not been given the order to pause experiments and go home. I felt like a hypocrite. I felt awful for not doing my part to flatten the curve.

The transition to working from home was relatively easy. I put all experiments on pause and switched entirely to the desk-work portion of my job. I’ve kept up with the teaching assistant duties, too. I have encountered such a large range of emotions from students. Some worrying about grades because medical school applications are still going to be submitted. Others trying to figure out how to finish the semester when they don’t have access to the same tech and resources as more privileged students. It has been an entirely new experience to navigate, and I have seen now more than ever that TAs really are the first people students will come to for help.

I rarely go out now. I’ve been spending a lot of time inside. Oh right, I haven’t updated on this. I have moved into a bigger unit. A lot has changed in the last year and I kept all of it private. I’ve been repairing my relationship and working on my own health. In the new unit, I have my own desk space which definitely helps with productivity. Of course, I am still planning and time blocking to stay organized.

For the first two weeks of quarantine, I had zero routine and was in a depression. Then I could focus on the move to upstairs and entering yet another stage of life. Life has stabilized again, and I have been working on advocacy and connections with adoptees. After almost three years of educating parents, I’m ready to start directing my posts to fellow adopted people. I want to remind them that they are not alone.

So, that’s where I have been at. My days are all largely the same, and if I don’t check my planner, I don’t know if it’s Wednesday or Saturday. I can’t wait to go back to work. I can’t wait to spend a Saturday in a coffeeshop. I can’t wait for everyone to just stay home so we can get through this sooner. I know this will be over soon.

Until then, continue taking care of yourself!