Chaz Plager
By CHAZ PLAGER
Special to Circling the News
In my opinion, there are three kinds of people dealing with Covid-19. The first are extroverts who are going crazy while stuck inside, and some are spending every waking moment protesting.
The second are introverts who usually spent all their time inside watching anime or playing games, so no change there.
Finally, there are the people who liked doing both, but don’t like being outside enough to protest for it and are also bored when inside. I belong to that last group.
My typical weekend used to go something like this: Wake up, eat breakfast, go to the gym until lunch, get lunch at Garden Café, go home, and do stuff inside.
Now, the entire middle of my day is cut out. I can’t even go outside without having to put on a mask. My dad makes us put our shoes into a bin after we go outside. So, what do I do instead?
Well, what I do is not necessarily the best for everyone, but it’s just what I do to stop boredom. I think the most universal thing you can do is “do something you’ve wanted to do for a long time but never had the time for.” Read that big book, watch that movie, build that one super-time-consuming model kit, etc.
I decided to learn a language, specifically Japanese. This is because most of the video games I like are usually Japanese-only, and that means I have to rely on fan translations to play them.
Right now, I’d say I know about 100 kanji. Only 1,900 more to go before I’m considered “literate” by Japanese standards.
I also played some really good games that I wouldn’t have the time to play before, such as Umineko: When They Cry and Virtue’s Last Reward. If you’re interested in playing them, they’re both on Steam. (I highly recommend the 07th Mod for Umineko, it basically upgrades the game with voice acting and better art.)
My dad taught me how to make French toast, which is really good. But the biggest problem I face daily is that I want to see my friends’ faces in person.
My friend Matthew suggested that we meet up at some park and talk to each other while six feet away, but it’s not the same.
I honestly miss school. It’s harder to learn at home. Isn’t it sad to think that March was the last time I’ll ever see Paul Revere.
Overall, quarantine is a place that carries both bad and good opportunities. Unfortunately, I could be unable to go back to school til May 2021, a whole year from now. Until then, I’m ひとりきり (all on my own.)
(Editor’s note: Chaz, 14, is an eighth grader at Paul Revere and a member of the school newspaper. He lives in Pacific Palisades.)