On & Off Campus Blog

Over the past two months of returning to school, I have been adjusting to many new things, including virtual seven-hour days of school. Thankfully, BB&N has adopted a hybrid system in which we are fully online for only half of the week. However, due to social distancing and challenges that come with in-person classes, video classes continue to have a significant role in in-person days as well.

Now, if you are like me, long Zoom calls usually translate into one thing: Zoom fatigue.

Since coming to BB&N freshman year and learning about Global Online Academy (GOA), I knew it was something I wanted to try. A few years ago, I began learning Japanese. Now, I am a student in the Global Online Academy course Japanese level II. So far, the class has been really interesting and I have learned a lot. Also, because I was already used to online classes, it was not much of an adjustment.

Back in March, when quarantine first began, it felt like I was transported to an alternate universe where days stretched out to 25 hours but weeks fused into each other. My once busy schedule with school, activities, and friends was replaced with infinite free time in the confinement of my house. Time kept passing, everyone kept aging, but the world was put on pause.

I was sitting in a black leather rolling chair with my MacBook opened and positioned at the center of my desk. My dresser, closet, and bookshelf were located to the right of the desk while my window and twin-sized bed were situated to the left. By now, you’ve probably guessed that this is a simple description of my bedroom; however, unbeknown to me a year ago, my bedroom would become the venue for my first online Model UN conference.

The start of this school year has been different than any other that I have experienced. One-way hallways, assigned bathrooms, and soccer practices with masks are some of the many adjustments that students have faced so far. Despite all of these changes, this school year has given our community an opportunity to grow, which we would not have had otherwise.