Maddie Hudlow, March 30 to April 5, 2020

Monday
Much of today was about trying to write the first five pages of my senior thesis. It has definitely not been the best class to switch to online. The formatting has been easy for a switch but I think it has made us more independent in doing our research for our paper. I am already struggling with being at home. It’s weird to adjust to living in your own space and then suddenly having to switch back to being with your family members. I stayed home all day and don’t even think I stepped outside once.

Tuesday

I have an internship with a female entrepreneur based in Charleston, SC. We usually conduct work over the computer but she has had me come down for a few weekends to be with her on client days. I was supposed to go this weekend but my parents and I had to make the unfortunate call for me to stay home in the midst of the coronavirus. She was very understanding about this and we have decided to work around it. I stayed home once again…I watched a lot of America’s Next Top Model reruns and tried to accomplish some more school work.

Wednesday

I left most of my belongings in my dorm room after classes initially moved online when I returned to Georgia. I had to pick a time slot to get my stuff out, so I will go tomorrow and pack up, spend the night in Greenwood, and then come back home on Friday.
It is also my grandma’s birthday today and she will be coming to our house to stay the night. We have to order her birthday dinner in since restaurants are take-out only. It was a nice enough celebration but once again, I stayed home all day.
My professor and I met via Microsoft Teams to discuss my senior seminar project and I am thankful he is keeping himself accessible but online school is still not the same.

Thursday

I travelled to Greenwood today to pack my things. I did it by myself because I needed a moment by myself. I am usually a very dependent person and love being around people but after hours on end without having real personal space, I have learned that even I need alone time. I spent the night with my friend and we stayed in, except to go through a drive thru for dinner. We worked on school work and watch some documentaries.

Friday

Governor Kemp of Georgia has declared that a shelter in place will go into effect today at 6 pm, meaning all non-essential business will be closed and travel will be somewhat monitored. Georgia State Patrol said they have the right to pull people over and question where they are
going. I travelled back home before this went into effect and worked on some internship assignments. My family and I ate dinner on our deck which was a nice change.

Saturday

My mother and her friend have been meeting at public trails/walking spots to exercise, so this morning I went with them. We went near the college in our town and walked around the area for about an hour. We then went to a nutritional store to get a smoothie and then had to pick up a few groceries for my grandma. We then went to the store to get some paint supplies so we could somewhat entertain ourselves at home, but it was crazy to be so intentional about not touching anything. Tonight, we rented a movie called Knives Out that was set up a little bit like clue. I noticed myself today looking for police while my mom was driving to see if they would pull us over but never saw one police car.

Sunday

My mom, her friend, and I met at a different spot to run this morning. We actually met outside a church that has this trail by it. Mom’s friend was talking about her husband starting to freak out about the virus a little more and she was standing a considerable distance away, so even when we are outdoors and working out, we are social distancing. It’s funny how a new phrase can integrate into our vocabulary just like that. It’s one that extroverts hate to hear for sure. I struggle not seeing my friends like normal. I went through some of my old books and clothes to get rid of and then laid down to watch a movie by myself. We’ll see what a new week brings.