Kirsten Abbott, a microbiology student at BYU, was beginning the journey of motherhood during the first semester that COVID restrictions affected classes.
“November before the pandemic I had a baby, [and] it was my first semester doing school with a baby and so it was pretty stressful. We were getting help…. from my mom, my mother-in-law, and my sister when classes were on campus.”
Immediately after COVID changes affected classes in the Winter 2020 semester, Kirsten related, “we had no outside help. In some ways it was nice; [for my remote classes I] just turn[ed] my laptop on at 7:55am; I didn’t have to wake up at 6:30 or 7:00 to get ready for my 8:00am class, [and] that was really nice.”
She started a regularly scheduled video call with other chemistry students to do homework together for 2 hours at least 3 times a week. She commented how refreshing that was to have that call set up for homework help as well as to fulfill social needs. She also started going on daily walks around her apartment complex with her husband and baby. “I really enjoyed going on walks a lot, especially towards the end of the school year. It was getting to be spring weather so it wasn’t as cold anymore, but it wasn’t disgustingly hot like it got to be in the summer. When May hit in Utah [and restrictions were loosened], we started seeing family more.” However, Kirsten expressed how the worry about safety didn’t go away.
How did she “rise up” and keep hope? “I think part of it is maintaining social contact with people. We would video call family regularly. On Sundays a few times, we would…play Jack box games…with Mike’s [her husband] family. We would host it on our computer…and they would play with us on their phone[s], and that was a lot of fun. With my family, we did a testimony meeting one Fast Sunday where we…all got together. I think that was in April last year.”
Kirsten also commented on her feelings about COVID restrictions in general. “It’s worth it to wear masks…to help people around you, but it’s frustrating,” she said. She recognizes that the prolonging of all the restrictions can be disheartening, but she also confirmed their importance for public health and safety.
She urges the necessity of self-care and independence for everyone in this pandemic. “Take care of yourself before you take care of others. If your mental health isn’t ok personally, then it’s harder to maintain relationships. And if you have children, [and] you’re not doing stuff to make sure you’re ok, it’s harder to meet their needs [as well].
Kirsten has also come away with some helpful insights about herself. “I learned that I like online classes more than I thought I would. I like having the option of both, because…this semester and last semester there were days when I would go, [and] there were days when I wouldn’t go, and I like being able to have that choice. Somedays, I really just want to go and be there in person, but there’s times where…it’s just not going to happen with Sarah, or it’s just not going to happen because I have a ton of other homework that the travel time is not worth it for me at that point. I like the new flexibility that I have found in education and I may actually consider maybe taking an online class in the future. I’m not as opposed to it as I was a year and a half ago. In November, when cases right before Thanksgiving got high, Mike and I didn’t have much help…from [the] middle of Thanksgiving until…finals week. I had a huge paper due and I just had to focus on that…I just needed that time to focus on it and not worrying about having to care for Sarah constantly and entertain her constantly. I think just having that time though, just Mike and I, it really helped...it was good for us to learn how to prioritize what's most important. We had to both make sacrifices for what we could attend on campus during that time versus not. That was just...that was good for both of us I think."
Kirsten has demonstrated, through her actions, how to take strength in new and often daunting circumstances. She has faced some of the difficult circumstances with COVID with resilience and fortitude by relying on and strengthening her relationships with her loved ones.
Σχόλια