By: Adrian Megee
We can all agree that Covid-19 has affected all of us in some sort of way. So many people have had events such as a family reunion or even a wedding. One thing that I myself and I’m sure many people have thought about are birthday celebrations. I went around campus and asked a few people about their events and celebrations they had.
I wanted to see what our brilliant pacers did to celebrate their loved ones or even themselves. So I asked a Sophomore male named Jake Virgence, about his summer and if he celebrated anything, he explained that over the summer he celebrated a birthday.
“We weren’t really able to go out to a restaurant but we were able to celebrate at home,” Virgence said how he had originally wanted to celebrate with his friends but due to COVID his plans were put on hold. He explained that because the state had gone into shutdown he was unable to meet friends and have the party or celebration he had in mind.
I had asked him if he was trying to get used to the change and he stated, “You don’t get to go out and do anything, or have a social event for your birthday.” He informed me that him and his friends were able to call and text each other, but he spent the day with his family.
On June 19th a Junior named Brook Williams celebrated her birthday in an intriguing way. She got, “Stuff in the mail, which is something that usually never happens on birthdays before.”
Brook was quarantined at home with her family, on her birthday. She had a nice dinner with them and was surprised by her friends mailing her. I asked if there were other forms of contact and she happily explained, “Yes, a lot of facetimes.” She said her birthday was eventful and not how she planned but, “It was really nice.”
Chase Henderson, who is a senior RA explained that his birthday was May 4th. He informed me that he was at home with his family but to celebrate his 21st birthday with his mom and himself, “Went to the ABC store and bought some drinks.” He was pleasantly surprised by his family when he left the house to come back to “Takeout Mexican food and 2 ice cream cakes.”
He stated his family and a few relatives celebrated his birthday. He ended the interview in a positive note saying that, “It was not an ideal way to turn 21, but I made the most of it and ended up enjoying myself!” He even had a fabulous photoshoot with the number 2 &1 balloons.
I myself am celebrating a birthday this coming Sunday September 13th, I was very nervous about how to celebrate my 21st birthday. Kayleigh Kotofsky, senior majoring in Anthropology as well as my suitmate, decided to inform me of a small plan she had.
“I was thinking, since we can only have one student each for our room we could have a small get together for your birthday,” Kotofsky said to me while I was working on a paper in my room Thursday afternoon. I was extremely excited as I’ve never had a ‘party’ and felt moved that she was being so nice to help me.
She explained, “We could watch some movies and have one drink. And just hangout for a while.” We decided on a plan to have one person each in our room, and watch some of my favorite movies and have my first drink with people I trust. My family has a tradition of dressing up for our birthdays, so I dressed up and did my hair and makeup that morning on my 21st.
The night of my birthday I went out with 3 people to Bad Daddy’s for my first drink, as we all ate some fried pickles before heading back to my room as another one of my friends came and watched movies until the early morning. It was a joyous birthday celebration, even if it wasn’t the ideal 21st celebration I had always dreamed of.
Now I want to wish everyone a happy birthday, weather it be late, early, or even exactly when you read this article! Just understand even though you can’t have a huge hall party you can still find creative and exciting ways to celebrate your day! Or even celebrate your friend’s birthday!