I’ve only used zoom once so far during the past month and one week of quarantine. It was with a small group of friends and it felt very awkward to me because there really wasn’t a whole lot to talk about as we’ve all been staying in the house.Two friends got into a deep conversation about how the quarantine has affected their medical needs and jobs. It was hard to try and chime in about how I’ve gotten into repeats of Frasier so  I basically just listened.

Tonight, my mother is using Zoom to communicate with her siblings who are spread out among three states; Illinois, Philadelphia, and North Carolina, respectively. So far, it’s consisted of reminiscing about the past and joking about how to use the camera. She’s usually very loud, with a tendency to stay on the phone for two hours, but when she’s with them, she’s at peace For the past few weeks, she’s had no one to talk to except us or at the tv when cursing out Trump. They’re debating politics now and it’s clear that it’s a very good stress reliever. I admire my mother; she’s very open and friendly, much more engaging than I usually let myself be. I hope as the weeks wear on, I’m able to develop this type of rapport with my friends as I sorely need it.