If someone had told me at the beginning of March that the start of the spring semester would arrive hand-in-hand with week seven of quarantine, I would have looked for a hidden movie camera, and waited for someone to yell “cut!”—a sequel to Children of Men or I Am Legend, perhaps.
There’s no camera, and life isn’t as exciting as any disaster flick. But once you finish making fun of me for being a Clive Owen fan, take advantage of having to work through a semester from home. You can make lunch mid-lecture, or have that mid-day nap between classes that you would have given anything to be able to take two months ago.
It’s hard to believe now, but there will come a day when we’ll have trouble remembering why this was so difficult. So make the best of it where you can. Do every normal thing you can. Exercise, read, get lost in a good playlist and a pair of massive headphones. Things are still business as usual with us, just different in some ways: Nexus managing editor Greg Pratt has moved Nexus HQ to his basement for the time being; he’s still jamming out to heavy metal, riding his BMX when the day is done, making coffee too strong for most, and training new volunteers remotely.
We write stories, and stories help bring people out of isolation, in a small way. They connect people with what’s happening, be it a story about an online concert or another shipment of face shields from Camosun Innovates to frontline workers. It’s nice to hear what your community is up to, and we’re doing our best to keep you informed about what the Camosun community is up to during this times of isolation.
The crisis, and how people are coping with the crisis, is globalization at work in every way. I’m choosing to focus on the positives, not because I just want brownie points, but because I have to. We all have to.
It’s both the blessing and the curse of writing: it can be done from isolation, even if you don’t own a computer. I hear students are writing final papers on their phones these days (please don’t do that; you can borrow a laptop for free from the college). Writing rarely stops.
If you’re anything like me, the repetition of life during COVID-19 is starting to get to you. But every day, you can make a little difference. You can change it up. Sometimes we might like to complain about the crust, but the core is still good. Don’t forget that.
Adam Marsh, student editor
adam@nexusnewspaper.com