It has been nearly six months since US citizens first took shelter from COVID-19. Although regulations have changed over time, most day to day lives have been spent indoors. 

Seattle Pacific University students, in their efforts to stay sane, have taken up various activities to liven up their indoor experience. 

“It gets kinda boring living in the same place forever,” commuter student Yujin Youn said.

To find escape from monotony and boredom, Youn rearranged her room, rediscovered books, and watched Korean dramas. 

“It was fun being able to rearrange everything the way I want it. If I don’t want it, I can change it back,” Youn said. 

Because quarantine limited their time outdoors, students developed new hobbies and pursued their talents. With a surplus of indoor time, ambitions became reality. 

Youn learned how to watercolor and in her spare time folded 1000 paper cranes. She also picked up painting by numbers. Switching up her living space and hobbies proved helpful for Youn. 

Rather than switch things up, biology major Zach Nacke replicated his dorm to feel more like home to get “the feeling it would be back at [his] house.” Maintaining the personality and identity of his space at home was important for Nacke to feel comfortable indoors.

“I brought my posters and plants: stuff that I already had in my room. It replicated the feeling of home,” Nacke said.

For James Goetz, a computer science major in Ashton, a lot of time has been spent practicing video production.

“I feel like my video production skills, working with Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects, have definitely improved over quarantine,” Goetz said over the phone.

Time spent online was imperative to maintaining social connections in addition to improving skills.

“Video calls have been important for keeping up with friends from high school, especially because we can’t see them as often,” Nacke said.

Although Zoom has been used for classes and club meetings, users without a licence are limited to 40 minutes of meeting time. Programs such as Discord, Skype, and Houseparty are resources for voice calls catered more towards hanging out.

Both Goetz and Nacke recommend online multiplayer games such as Among Us, a social deduction game that has gained popularity worldwide. From floor video chats to clubs such as Korean Student Association, Among Us has been popular in bringing students together no matter the distance.

Connecting with students online has been one way to distract from the mundane life of staying indoors. Another way to escape and enter into a whole new world is through media such as movies and music.

“[Movies] feel like another world. Like another zone of living. That outworldly feeling, ya feel?” Nacke said.

For Goetz, mental escape is found through music. He recently invested in a record player for his dorm. Goetz has been listening to Aphex Twin and Robin Saville, both of which are ambient electronic artists.

“It’s been a big inspiration for me to keep going and find more music,” Goetz said.

Despite quarantine, students have made the most in transforming their indoor lifestyle to suit the amount of time spent inside. There’s no denying the limitations COVID-19 has on life on campus or at home. Still, students look forward to activities after quarantine.

“There’s less things to do. Sit-down eating, going to parks, and stuff is limited,” Youn says.

Goetz looks forward to seeing friends in person and catching up with friends, while Nacke misses his grandparents, but can’t visit them because they’re at higher risk for COVID-19.

“Social gatherings and social happiness are at the cost of safety,” Nacke said.

For some, school has ended the monotony of indoor boredom. Though it’s not always something to look forward to, school is a practical use of time.

“With classes you have some sort of structure to your life. You don’t just space out half the day,” said Goetz.

Life indoors has become a new reality after six months. Although many of us have settled into a routine, students at SPU continue to find ways to adapt to the ever-changing circumstances brought on by COVID-19. Whether it’s via music, interior design, Among us, or school work, finding purpose in everyday life is vital to staying sane during this insane time.

Students are thankful for that sense of purpose found in doing school work.

“Quarantine is to do whatever you want whenever you want,” Nacke said. “In school, the expectation to be somewhere is nice.”