This is a letter written to Glo at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. Mommy suggested we post our letters to her on the blog so that some day, our descendants could know what Coronavirus was like for us.
Hi Globeegirl! How ya been? Any strange cough suddenly overtaken you? Running a high fever? If you answered no, you probably don't have Coronavirus, which is the only thing anyone has been discussing lately. Granted, it is a nice change from the presidential elections, but still. It only took a worldwide pandemic for BYU to finally give us a spring break. Yes, that's right. On Thursday, BYU announced that classes for the next three days(Friday, Monday, and Tuesday) would be cancelled, and classes would resume on Wednesday, but online. That certainly threw some professors for a loop. I've been getting all these emails about how we are going to structure the class now that we are moving to an online setting. ON the bright side, that means that classes are no longer scheduled for a specific hour, so when my job offered 40 hours a week to anyone who wanted it, I jumped at the chance. I need some extra fun money for this summer! Anyway, it has been pretty crazy around here. The grocery stores are pretty much empty, and I think a lot of people are regretting not having food storage. Meanwhile, we college students are still just trying to stay alive, but there's absolutely no more toilet paper, so we just cry ourselves to sleep at night. We've still got ten rolls of Charmin in our apartment, which should last at least a week and a half. Hopefully, I can make it to the store tomorrow to buy some food for my camping trip this weekend. This Friday is the actual spring day, and I'm going down to Canyonlands for some much needed time away from Provo. I'm so dang excited, and even more so because I'll be outside, which means my odds of catching La Corona(as Mark calls it) decrease a little.
Hi Globeegirl! How ya been? Any strange cough suddenly overtaken you? Running a high fever? If you answered no, you probably don't have Coronavirus, which is the only thing anyone has been discussing lately. Granted, it is a nice change from the presidential elections, but still. It only took a worldwide pandemic for BYU to finally give us a spring break. Yes, that's right. On Thursday, BYU announced that classes for the next three days(Friday, Monday, and Tuesday) would be cancelled, and classes would resume on Wednesday, but online. That certainly threw some professors for a loop. I've been getting all these emails about how we are going to structure the class now that we are moving to an online setting. ON the bright side, that means that classes are no longer scheduled for a specific hour, so when my job offered 40 hours a week to anyone who wanted it, I jumped at the chance. I need some extra fun money for this summer! Anyway, it has been pretty crazy around here. The grocery stores are pretty much empty, and I think a lot of people are regretting not having food storage. Meanwhile, we college students are still just trying to stay alive, but there's absolutely no more toilet paper, so we just cry ourselves to sleep at night. We've still got ten rolls of Charmin in our apartment, which should last at least a week and a half. Hopefully, I can make it to the store tomorrow to buy some food for my camping trip this weekend. This Friday is the actual spring day, and I'm going down to Canyonlands for some much needed time away from Provo. I'm so dang excited, and even more so because I'll be outside, which means my odds of catching La Corona(as Mark calls it) decrease a little.
Work is one of the few places, it seems, that will not be closing because of COVID-19. The plasma we collect is used for immunodeficiency patients, who happen to be more at risk of dying from the virus, so it's especially important that we stay open. Or, at least, that's what they tell us. Too, a lot of students lost their jobs this week, because there is no need for a lot of TAs now that they can't meet in person, and research labs can't do their research, so donating plasma is a good way to make money, especially if they have to pay their own rent. The apartment rental companies aren't letting anyone out of their contracts, even though BYU has encouraged students to go home to finish classes. People have complained to BYU, but it's not like they own the companies. The companies need to make money too, and unfortunately, it's coming at the cost of some students' sanity.
The memes of late have been especially glorious. I'm so glad our generation came up with memes. They truly are a universal language now, and the virus is giving us some great new material. My favorite one that I've heard of so far is a Utah looking mom, going "Hmm. COVID is a great name for a boy :P I would honestly not be surprised if it popped up eventually.
Oh man, working at the plasma center, I come across some realluy weird names. I can't remember if I told you this story, but the other day(like three weeks ago), I pulled a girl's chart, and her first name was Cailee. Now, that's pronounced like our cousin's Kai's name, but when I called her to go into a booth, no one moved, and she didn't show up in the booth. So, that usually means one of two things. 1. They have their headphones in, and aren't listening, or 2. They went to the bathroom after the checked in, which we specifically ask them not to do. Well, I went up to my friend,and said, "What are the odds this girl is in the bathroom?" He responded with "Well, with a name like that, the odds are probably pretty high." Yes, we very much judge the Utah names. Anyway, so eventually, I see her walk out of the bathroom, and I say "Cailee, next in Booth 4," which means that when the person currently in that booth comes out, she goes in. This was not her first or second time coming in, so she should know this by now. But she has gotten. reputation at the center for being a little high-maintenance, and kind of a snob, so I get the feeling she thinks herself above us. Anyway, she walks down the hallway, and I hear her open the door, even though the other person hadn't come out yet. That happens sometimes, so it's fine, but she comes flouncing back down to me, and says, "Where am I going?" I responded with "You'll be next in Booth 4." Before I can what that means, she says "So, Booth 5?" Then, it finally clicked, and she walked away and sat down to wait for the person in Booth 4 to come out. Man, we had a good laugh about that. In a job that can sometimes be monotonous, seeing as we do the same thing every day for hours on end, it can be nice to have something different happen to make us laugh.
We have been getting a lot of calls at work, asking us if we will still be operating under normal hours. Yep. Business as usual. While it would be nice to go home and finish the semester there, I am really grateful that I still have a job, and parents who help me financially. Mommy and Daddy are such generous parents, and it's amazing that they are always so willing to support us in whatever we want to do. There have been times this week that I have felt a little scared or nervous or homesick, and I have wanted to go home because I want to be with Mommy and Daddy, but because of work and my calling, that isn't really an option. But I was talking to a lot of people today, who do have the option of going home, and they say they don't want to for one reason or another, and I'm grateful that we have a loving and welcoming home where we can feel loved and safe.
Stay safe Glo. Become a major germaphobe. Don't touch anything, and don't touch your face unless you just washed your hands. Maybe COVID will help cure me of biting my nails for good. Probably not, but we can always be optimistic. Drink lots of water, and blow your nose often. I've been praying for you to stay safe. You're such a great missionary, and hopefully the work isn't being impacted too much by all this. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you, little sister. Te quiero muchisimo, y te espero una semana maravillosa!
TE AMO!
Tu hermana,
Hannah
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