Hello, me here, Paige. Let me lay down for you what its like on an everyday basis where I live, prior COVID-19. I was born and raised in a small town in Eastern North Carolina. I come from a long line of farmers, but my farmers are not the average. My family farms, but most also have 8-5 jobs on top of it. This proves difficult in times of natural disasters, like hurricanes because they have two jobs to handle and a family. Anywho, back to the town. We are growing, but we all know everyone. If an older woman asks “who are you”(while pointing a little finger at you), she is wanting to know who your parents, grandparents, and cousins are. She also wants to know what road/part of town you grew up on. She will then tell you how she knows your grandparents. Everyday you are likely to be caught behind a 18 wheeler, tractor, or just an older couple on a Sunday cruise. Main Street is 15 mph with family businesses struggling to compete. People may have their differences, but when is comes down to do it, we support one another.
Our daily life, the hustle and bustle, the hand shaking, the hugging, and the dinner sharing, and all of it, has stopped. It doesn’t seem like life. We are a community. Life as we know it has been disrupted by COVID-19. When I first returned from UNC, nothing felt different. People were still out and moving, but now I see the terror of the elderly, the cluelessness of the kids, the empty parks, the teen hangouts deserted, and the church house empty. It just doesn’t seem normal. But, no matter what, the farmers are still out. Someone has to put the food on our tables and the clothes on our back. So many people still have to go to their office jobs as well. I work at a CPA office and I am still working, just as so many people in other towns, cities, and states. No matter how different life may seem, so many day to day operations have to be ran.
I am a first year at UNC. First semester was very hard on me. Being from a small town and a small school, I was a homebody. I went home a lot first semester, but second semester I had just gotten into the groove. I had amazing study friends for the weekend and was beginning to feel at home. I was very ready for summer, but I wasn’t ready to leave before classes being over. I enjoyed being at UNC to stay focused on my school work and home to have relief from school work. Now, the two are merged. I did online classes a lot in high school, but this is so different. I have a lot of other responsibilities at home and the farm during this hard time, so it is difficult to adjust. I know everyone is also having a hard time, so I am taking it day by day. My small town may look different, but I know our flame won’t be put out.
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