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Things have really changed in my house. Most days, I wake up at about 7 a.m. I get ready for the day by eating breakfast, brushing my teeth and putting on my clothes. Four days each week, I log into third grade. I mean, I log on to video calls for school. Later, I go outside and play soccer by myself or shoot hoops. Sometimes, when he has time, I throw a baseball with my dad. I spend most of my day reading 鈥� and rereading 鈥� all the books I can get my hands on. I have this joke with my dad where I grab his old books off the bookshelf and tell him, 鈥淗ey Dad, I鈥檓 going to read Being and Time next.鈥� Right now I鈥檓 trying to read The Nature and Destiny of Man. My dad just groans and rolls his eyes.

This isn鈥檛 how most school years usually go.

But soon, in less than a month, school will be over and it will be 鈥渟ummer break.鈥� I think that by then, it won鈥檛 feel like summer break. It鈥檒l feel like quarantine, because we鈥檝e been home since March.

That鈥檚 the problem: Summer break starts on June 5, and it鈥檚 going to be a lot like our last few months of distance learning. But it鈥檚 also going to be way worse than our usual summers. It鈥檚 going to be the same, but also different.

My days won鈥檛 change a whole lot when school ends. I鈥檒l still be in quarantine at home, doing the same stuff I鈥檝e done since March. It鈥檒l just feel even more boring because the online video calls for school will end and they鈥檒l stop sending us work to do.

I鈥檒l also feel sad, because I won鈥檛 be able to stop thinking about seeing my friends again. Most days, I still won鈥檛 be able to see any of them, because they could have the virus, for all we know. Even when I can see them, we won鈥檛 get to actually play 鈥� I鈥檒l have to be six feet away and won鈥檛 be able to throw and catch a ball with them. There aren鈥檛 many games that you can play while social distancing. We keep in touch on video calls separate from our school day and we鈥檝e started sending letters, but it鈥檚 not the same as seeing them in person.

I suppose we鈥檒l try to have fun even without our friends. And there鈥檚 always stuff to do inside with my family. We鈥檝e been entertaining ourselves like this for a while. This summer, we鈥檒l play with my little brother. He likes it when we read books, especially Dr. Seuss鈥檚 Fox in Socks and Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! He also likes it when we talk to him and build block towers and castles for him to destroy. When he鈥檚 busy, I鈥檒l play games like Hanabi, Rat-A-Tat-Cat and Boggle.

We鈥檒l also get outside sometimes too. We can go on hikes in Rock Creek Park, so long as we are careful to stay away from other people. I鈥檝e been working on training for a half-marathon, so maybe I can get up early and go running sometimes with my dad.

But it鈥檚 still going to be hard. Most summers, we鈥檇 play in the city鈥檚 splash parks and playgrounds. We鈥檇 celebrate birthdays. We鈥檇 go on trips to see family. Now, because of the pandemic, all of that is gone. This summer might be a lot like the spring, but it鈥檚 not going to be anything like the summer I wanted.

Still, during the quarantine, I鈥檝e been thinking about how many doctors and nurses are working across the world to save people鈥檚 lives. They鈥檙e acting bravely and trying their best to help people even when they鈥檙e in danger of getting the virus themselves. If they can tough it out, then I can handle a few more months stuck at home, busting my dad鈥檚 chops.

鈥淧andemic Notebook鈥� is an ongoing collection of first-person, student-written articles about what it is like to live through the coronavirus pandemic. Have an idea? Please contact Executive Editor Andrew Brownstein at [email protected].

Owain Williams is nearly finished with third grade at a public school in Washington, D.C.

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