This is part of a series called Postcards From Here, in which Harvard undergraduates talk about the changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Allison Law ’20

Hometown: Natick, Mass.
Concentration: Integrative Biology
House: Kirkland

Well-founded fears

“My parents are essential workers and do not have the option to work from home or to stop working. To put it mildly, working conditions everywhere could be a lot safer. I am thankful that we have been spared by the recent wave of unemployment, but I can’t help but worry about the daily exposure. It’s frustrating when people assume that I am not appreciative when I express concern for the safety of my parents.”

Daily reminders

“Interactions between neighbors have changed. It seems that people are more wary of each other, though I’m not sure if COVID-19 did that or if it’s just Massachusetts. Grocery runs have changed noticeably. Toilet paper aside, it has been difficult to find flour and Law family kitchen staples such as bok choy sum and yu choy.”

Missing the pups

“I miss the serendipity of School — from crossing path with friends between classes to the dinners in Kirkland Hall that turn into study breaks. I especially miss the dogs in Kirkland. Walking the Faculty Deans’ Bernese mountain dogs, Bella and Jack, and coming home from class to a courtyard full of friendly dogs was part of my normal routine at the College.’’

Thank you, Bon Appétit

“I’ve been adapting my senior thesis into a manuscript and into an essay for a general audience. I also teach a section for a physics course and host study breaks for OEBug, the Organismic & Evolutionary Biology Undergraduate Group. I’ve also been reading, trying to keep up the musical chops, and watching shenanigans unfold in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen.”

 Postal script

“To stay in touch, my friends and I call, write letters, and video chat. Planning activities with friends helps me keep a schedule throughout the week and gives me things to look forward to. The letters and postcards are the most meaningful. Especially when schedules don’t overlap, I like how letters serve as tangible reminders of the person I miss. Reading their linguistic idiosyncrasies in their handwriting makes it feel like they’re less far away.”

 

Related

Finding creative ways to maintain campus bonds remotely

Some groups have retooled old school rituals, while others have created new ones

Scenes from the socially distant

Teaching by podcast; a taste of campus life; lessons from the South Pole; virtual voice lessons

Life at a distance

Snapshots of the widespread Harvard community: A Zoom wedding; reunion in St. Croix; challenges of teaching ASL online; and a taste of Cuba

Dispatches from socially distancing students and faculty

A remote ‘Doctor of Philosophy Dance Party,’ laughter yoga, crowd-sourced altruism, and tweet to remember

Notes from the new normal

Bits of the socially distanced lives of staff and faculty, from a LEGO model of the Music Building to Gov. Andrew Cuomo as Henry V to cereal for dinner — in the shower