New! APG Advice Column: Ask Ada

Dear Ask Ada,

    I hate the pandemic. I miss going to lots of places and I feel like I can’t connect to my friends through distance learning. I talk to them over hangouts or on the phone sometimes, but it never really feels right! How should I connect with the people I care about if I’m not even allowed to see them in person?

Thanks,
-Lonely in SF

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Dear Lonely in SF,
    
    I agree that sometimes social distancing can be hard, but there are lots of ways to stay connected. Here are some tips for beating the loneliness during the pandemic:

• You can try to meet with people in person, but keep distance or wear masks. Outdoor places like the beach and the park might be safer to go to. If you or your parents are uncomfortable meeting people in person, you can instead propose that you find one friend that you really like, and hang out with that person and their family only. Make a quaranteam! I do this sometimes, and it’s a good way to build relationships!
• If live hangouts aren’t allowed by your parents either, then you can try to interact more with your friends virtually. For instance, you can join the same clubs, or you can play cooperative games on HouseParty or Among Us together. Setting up Google Meets and Zoom meetings outside of school to chat would be cool too!
  
• Try and have fun with the people that you can see! Bonding with your siblings over water guns or board games, and helping your parents cook dinner could be really fun! This is also a good way to get closer to the people that you love.
  
• You don’t have to be in the same place at the same time to have a physical connection with your friends. How about having a postal mail pen pal? You can exchange puzzles, cards, or letters! This can be a really fun way of speaking to your friends. Or maybe you can do a collaborative art project: get some chalk and find a spot like the reservoir, or in front of the library, where you can both work on the same mosaic at different times.
  
• Last but not least, you can try a book exchange. Personally, when quarantine hit, I got really bored of reading because there was nothing new. With the libraries and bookstores closed, there was no way for me to get new books. Exchanging books with friends is cool because you can read new material, but also get rid of old things.
  

Hope these ideas helped,
-Ask Ada