Quarantine has been a rush of emotions for me over the last few weeks. I love my family,
and the home I grew up in, and I will always cherish the memories I have experienced in this city
over my 21 years of life. But as soon as I moved to New York City when I was 18, I knew I had
found my new home.
Being away from my home has been very hard for me. I will be in quarantine with my
parents, in my childhood home, for a total of 10 weeks. Never did I think I would live this long
at home again. I am very grateful for my parents and everything they have allowed me to do over
the last few years. And I am extremely grateful to have been able to come back home and
quarantine with them, but it has come with its up and down moments.
At the beginning of my time in Los Angeles, I was not aware of the severity of the
situation and therefore took it very hard when my parents did not allow me to go back to New
York City. 7 weeks in, I understand what they were doing was because they loved me and did
not want me to be in danger in any form. And I am so thankful for that fact. I am glad I could be
at home with sunshine and nature at my fingertips. I am grateful to have been given a home
cooked meal every night. I am grateful I could spend these extra few weeks with my parents,
even if they got on my nerves from time to time, and vice versa.
The collection of photos I have included come from a small series I have been working
on that represents my experience during this quarantine. It depicts my time at home, my
neighborhood, and how other Angelenos have been preparing for this pandemic. I was inspired
by how different my neighborhood looks and feels during this stay at home order. Never have I
ever seen so many people walking through my neighborhood, an activity that was very common
for my family for as long as we have lived here. It was weird to see my community make such
drastic changes and see how people responded in this crucial time for our society.
I don’t know what the future holds for me or the rest of the world. We are living in a very
uncertain and scary time. But I do know I am happy to have spent this crucial moment in history
at Kenter Avenue.