Hello friends!
It has officially been 7 months, 7 days, and 7 hours since I last saw my Scripps friends on March 14th. But who’s keeping count, right? The pandemic straight up sliced through my social life and then laughed in my face. During these uNpREcEDEnteD tiMEs, it can be very difficult to stay in touch with your distant loved ones. However, my friends and I have been able to keep in touch and hang out virtually. So today I’m going to talk a bit about how we’ve managed to do it. <3
Among Us
Among Us is the hot new game to play during quarantine. What better way to show your friends how much you love them than by mercilessly murdering them and then framing someone else for their death? I hopped on the Among Us train a little late so I’m still terrible at it, but it’s still super fun to play with friends! Hot tip: you can also play hide and seek. (The impostor reveals themselves in the beginning, sabotages the lights so it’s dark, and then the crew mates run for their lives and hide.) 10/10 would recommend facetiming/zooming/discording as you play so it’s easier to talk smack.
Virtual Board Games
The only thing my roommates and I loved doing more than badly recreating TikTok dances at 1 am was playing boardgames. My roomie Angela particularly likes beating us at chess. She has lost to us only once, when my other roomie Zury beat her. I have yet to win against her, but I have been practicing against the computer and slowly building up my chess skills. During quarantine, we usually play on chess.com. In addition to chess, we also play Scrabble online (through the app). I’m happy to report that Angela has met her match with me when it comes to Scrabble. >:)
Study Dates <3
One of the things I miss most about being on campus was being able to buy an iced oat milk Mexican mocha, buy a warm ham and cheese croissant, and head to a booth at Honnold Mudd Library to study with my friends. I spent 70% of my time studying, 20% goofing off, and 10% simply relishing in my College Academia Aesthetic™ lifestyle. For now, my friends and I have a discord channel that’s specifically meant for studying and it’s honestly so refreshing to have another person to complain to as you do (more like skim) your 50+ pages of reading.
On a more personal note, I have honed in my Motley Barista skills to recreate my mocha order at home. Then, I put on a rainy coffeeshop lofi mix on my speaker and study away. I highly recommend it!
Letters
My friends and I have traveled back to the 19th century and are using letters as a form of communication. It’s so much cuter and wholesome than just texting each other. And you’re helping out the post office! Every time I get a letter, it brightens up my day. In addition to just the letter, we send each other random things that remind us of each other. We’ve sent each other coloring book pages, word searches, mini-paintings, and more. I’ve also sent my Texan roommate Californian seashells to lovingly remind her of our state superiority.
In addition, Scripps students have created a network of letter sending. You sign up and get assigned a random Scrippsie to write to. There’s also a journal circling around and everyone is taking turns decorating a page.
These are just a few of the things my friends and I have done to stay connected during these chaotic times. Hopefully, I’ve been able to give you insight on how the Scripps community stays connected without a campus.
See ya!