| By Mya, 8^th grade | January 2021 … My life is different from a year ago. The pandemic has a big impact on my life because I no longer go to school and I’m stuck at home all day. Normally on a weekend, my family and I would go out for a walk, but now we can’t do that because we have to social distance and wear masks. I lost my grandmother on my dad’s side during COVID, and I have been very sad. I also had to deal with an extra kid in my house because her mom has to work. The pandemic has been making my life very stressful.  

A year ago, I was at school with my friends, playing around and traveling during holiday breaks and on nice summer days. My grandmother and I would go on nice long bike rides and we would stop at Whole Foods to get lunch. On nice hot summer days, my mom, dad, little brother and I would go to the beach and play in the sand and go in the water.  

Nowadays, we can’t do any of the stuff we usually did. We have to stay in the house. If we do go outside, we have to wear masks and social distance from everyone. We can’t go into restaurants anymore because they are either shut down or you can’t go inside. We can sit outside and eat, but that’s hard when people are passing by every second. We also can’t go on walks or go biking. All in all, my life is different now than one year ago.  

— Mya is a reporter for the Waring Healthy Times in Philadelphia.