Esme ulland-joy, 11

I remember waking up at 7:30 on Friday, March 13th. On a normal school day, I usually wake up around 6:20. At first, I remember being a little confused. The Snow Day Calculator app had said there was only an 11 percent chance of there being a snow day on Friday. I go downstairs, and my parents tell me that school is canceled for three weeks.

Since Friday, we have been doing things differently in our house. We don’t go outside except for our daily walk. We also have been disinfecting the doorknobs and light switches.

I decided to try something new while I was out of school. I started working on writing a book. I set a goal for a certain amount of words each day, which made the goal seem more reachable. I started on Saturday, March 14th, and on Wednesday, March 18 I had 8244 words. I have also been writing some poetry.

Our family is also trying to go on a walk every day to get some fresh air. We have walked to Lake Superior a few times, and other times just around our neighborhood.

I have also been in contact with one of my friends, Ella, because we won’t be seeing each other for a few weeks. We mostly talk about what we have been doing and have been sending each other pictures of things we have been doing. I spend a lot of my time writing, but I also have been doing some art. I love to paint and draw, so I have been doing some painting and drawing. I like doing art because it is very relaxing.

I have been reading a lot too. I have been reading a book about kid activists, and recently finished a historical fiction book about World War II.

I have also had to deal with some cancelations and postponements. I was going to go to Salamanca, Spain in May. I have been there before and had been really looking forward to it. Although I can’t go this year, there is a chance I will be able to go next year in May.

We were also going to be going to a trivia contest in Wisconsin in April. We do that every year, and I always look forward to it. I have written an article about the contest that came out last fall. Last year we got 26th out of over 340 teams. Sadly, this had to be postponed until October, which is unfortunate because I get to see some of my cousins at the trivia contest.

I would recommend for people in the same situation that I am in, to do something that is relaxing for you. I would also suggest setting goals for yourself if you are the type of person who likes to be busy and doesn’t have anything to do all day.

If you had something canceled that you were looking forward to, see if it will be postponed. Then you can look forward to it without having to worry as much about getting sick.

Remember, wash your hands and don’t touch your face!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Esme Ulland-Joy is 11 years old and in the sixth grade.