Project Information
Category: Writing Sample
Class: JRMC 7012E – Digital Media Storytelling
Project Date: January 12, 2022
Project Description: The instructions on the assignment from the professor are the following:
“The letter should be addressed “Dear Omicron.” It should detail your journey through the pandemic starting from March 2020 to now focusing on your personal engagement with the key events of the last two years. These will vary enormously with each individual. The length of the letter is a maximum of three pages.”
The Project:
” Dear Omicron,
I have to say, despite the potential controversy, you definitely are my favorite out of your brother and sisters. With that said, you can politely go now. You have made your presence known, isn’t that enough for you?
Omicron, let me tell you a little story. When I was a sophomore in college, I was living my best life. I was a student at the finest institution and home to the 2022 national football champions, the University of Georgia. I resided in a sorority house with 60 of my closest friends. I went home for spring break to work, to make money for my upcoming study abroad at Oxford in just three short months. Then, your eldest sibling came along that same week in March of 2020. I never went back. I stayed at home with my parents only to return for my belongings and the “official” move out of that Greek mansion on Milledge. And that trip to Europe? It never happened. The events that occurred over the past two years since consisted of nothing but solitude, giant q-tip like tools up my nose to my brain and having the proper noun “Zoom” become a top contender in my most frequently used vocabulary.
Gratefully, I’ve never actually met any of your infamous siblings firsthand. Only through the grapevine have I heard of their terror. I did, however, run into some other medical issues in November of 2020. It sucked. Not just the medical issue in itself, but the fact that it was minimized due the pandemic. Thankfully, I have been blessed with the best-case scenario and was able to be fixed right up with just a single surgery. But it still sucked, especially in the moment when everything was unknown. Not having my mom even be able to come in the hospital to check me in, having to still go to the doctor every three months, again with no one by my side and a blue surgical mask basically embedded to my face now. Who would’ve ever thought the biggest fashion trend of this decade would be a paper like piece of cloth stretched across our faces and strapped behind our ears? It hasn’t been just a fad either, no, here we are two years later going strong with your style, Omicron.
I will say one positive that has emerged from this whole fiasco of yours is that the days I’m feeling lazy and don’t want to wear makeup is a plus with the face coverings. Not to mention, getting to remain in my pajama pants while in meetings from the comfort of my own home. Who would have ever thought? Being a glass half full type of gal is a trait I had to become an expert at in this season. Well, I guess this has gone on a little longer than a season at this point now. Anyway, being positive is one of the biggest things that can really make this situation better, at least for me.
With that, there’s not much more to say you, Omicron, except please, please continue to mutate. Get weaker. Guide us to herd immunity.
My coldest regards,
Katherine Crocker “