Egalitarian reporter Kameron Setiao was one of many students and staff to test positive for COVID-19 over winter break, here is his story:

On December 11th, a Saturday. I went to my friend’s house to do a white elephant. There were going to be a total of seven of us. I got there around 3 p.m. and four of the five guys showed up around 6 p.m. The last guy was at a party, and showed up after the party was over, around 9 p.m. I talked to him for a good 10 minutes catching up. I didn’t think about using a mask, but I should’ve. Eventually I put it together and it was the guy who went to the party who gave it to me and the rest of the guys. It had to be him because he was around many people without masks. It wasn’t until Monday night where I felt the symptoms. I had a sore throat and my temperature was hitting the 100’s. I didn’t feel good the entire week so I stayed home and tried to get better because at that time, I thought it was a normal cold.

On Thursday, I went to get tested. I was scared because I never had to get a COVID-19 test before and I didn’t know how it was going to go. The process was quick and it gave me teary eyes by the end. I got my results back the same day and I tested positive. It was shocking because I never thought I would get it, but turns out anything can happen. The only symptoms I had were sore throat, losing my senses once in a while and feeling tired. I felt fine for the most part but the first couple days were the worst because I was so tired and weak. Day by day I got better and all I did for the next two weeks was eat, play games, watch movies and sleep. It may sound like paradise but over-time it gets repetitive and boring. It felt like being in jail, not allowed to leave my room and getting food delivered to my door. It was not only hard on me but for my family as well because they always worried about me and the whole house was down mentally. By being isolated I was very lonely and I learned a lot about myself. I always took my family and friends for granted and that’s one thing I learned, not taking anything for granted because it can disappear. After quarantining for two weeks, I could finally leave my room and live normally again. It was so bad that I went outside to breathe fresh air.

It was something I never thought of but now I appreciate it. I spent quality time with my family, and tried to enjoy Christmas and New Years. From now on I try to enjoy every moment with my family and friends because you never know when it’s the last. It does seem scary getting COVID but you’re going to be fine, and quarantining really helps you and your family stay safe.