Fall semester did not seem to have an end; the overlying terrors of COVID-19 looming over students’ heads and the constant questions of whether classes would be fully online only added to an already stressful semester. Somehow the end has come, and by putting a wrap to the 2020 fall semester, we are moving past the first full semester dealing with the pandemic.
Online formatting and the difficulties it presented have left this semester something akin to a labyrinth. Burnout manifested itself for many of us, whether it was the stress of a potential assignment lost in a poorly organized educat page, or answering a Zoom call for class by rolling over in bed and opening up a laptop and leaving the camera off. Maintaining a grip on reality as days flew by without stepping outside and assignments poured in made the end of the semester feel further and further away. With the end here, we can look back with accomplishment and perseverance in mind.
Thanksgiving feels much more like a reward this year than it has any other year. With the semester ending two days before the holiday, the North Wind staff as a whole is excited about the family and food. The guidelines put in place for Thanksgiving and COVID-19 may create some limitations, but the health of our families is more important than a single holiday. Still, returning and seeing family is not out of the question.
While some of us look forward to the annual football games, relinquish old traditions to be replaced with a Zoom call, or absorb ourselves in a storm of baking from the lack of kitchens in the dorms, we remember the reason behind Thanksgiving. The ever spiraling apples that have been baked into pies in years past, a tradition our opinion editor shares with her mom, may not yield the 10-12 pies it often has for extended family, but a single pie will carry out the tradition all the same.
Other members of our staff plan to zoom in to Thanksgiving, while others still have already returned home and plan to dine with family in person. Perhaps the most important part of Thanksgiving this year is reasserting a sense of normalcy. Students are no longer the kids that first visited campus, rather, they are living through an incredibly draining time, emotionally, physically and mentally. Returning home can be a time to feel normal and be a kid again. We have all been through a lot since the year began, and obtaining what the world used to be, even for a single day, is something we all deserve.
Although this year has been surreal, being with family as safely and responsibly as possible is what many people need right now. The pandemic may shrink down the table size to more immediate family and phone conversations, escaping what has become everyday life since the summer is a relief to all of us at the North Wind. We wish everyone a safe Thanksgiving and to remember to appreciate those around you, and their health and well-being.
