Final Project- Kaleigh Collett

My Final Semester of College in Quarantine

My name is Kaleigh Collett, and this is my kitten, Millie. On March 16, 2020, I was told that my final semester of college would be moving online and Millie and I would not be returning to our College Park apartment after spring break. The following images depict the wave of emotions and activities that I have experienced in the past two months at my childhood home in Fallston, Maryland, trying to cope with this drastic change in my life. 

To pass the time, my mom, Wendy Collett, and I have found projects to complete around the house. One weekend it was especially nice out, so we decided to repaint some patio furniture that had faded to a dusty gray. The glossy black spray paint returned it to its dark glory. 

My childhood cat, Sadie, has brought me so much joy during this time. She is ten years old now, and seems to get quirkier by the day. In this photo, she is perched in the window above our kitchen sink because she insisted on watching my dad, Jim Collett, clean our porch. Sadie used to be solely my cat, but she has grown incredibly fond of my dad since I left for school.

My dad has always kept his hair very tightly trimmed, going to the barber every few weeks to maintain his hairstyle. When his barber shop closed due to the pandemic in early March, I offered to use my hair cutting skills, learned from years of clipping horses, on his hair. He loved it, and exclaimed that he "never needs to pay for a haircut again!"

My dad is usually the voice of calm and reason in my household, with my mom and I leaning towards the side of anxiety and stress. However, the pandemic has brought out interesting reactions in my dad. He has been by far the most effected by the stress of quarantine life, and has taken to stocking up on paper products. He claims it makes him feel better to provide for his family. 

My mom ordered several puzzles for us to complete while we had all this spare time. The one we started with was an image of a cat, her favorite animal, and a pug, my favorite dog. After waiting over a month for the puzzle to arrive, we got down to the last seven pieces only to realize that the pieces didn't fit. We left it unfinished for days before throwing it away in frustration.

Between myself and my parents, we have three cats. Oliver (age 4, left), Millie (age 2, center) and Sadie (age 10, right) usually struggle to get along. Millie and Oliver enjoy snuggling and chasing each other around the house. Sadie, however, has struggled to accept her new siblings. She has a severe distain for Oliver, but is slowly learning to accept Millie. This was the first time they all laid together on the same bed with me.

One of my new favorite traditions is Sunday lunch at Five Guys. My parents and I have gone almost every Sunday to get Curbside pickup at our local Five Guys, as all restaurants are takeout only. To ensure that the food is still fresh and warm when we eat, we stay in the parking lot and enjoy our burgers in the car. 

Oliver (L) and Millie (R) come running when they hear the dryer turn on to get first dibs on the small,  warm space on the top. They always end up snuggling close together. We've never really had cats that got along well, so I love watching them lay together. 

One of my favorite things I've done during quarantine is learn to cook from my mom, Wendy. I used to be the type of person that could barely make spaghetti on my own, but now I have several meals I can make. I'm also a very picky eater, so learning how to make vegetables in new, appealing ways has helped me expand my palate. 

My dear friend, Stacey Allen, knew that I was struggling with not being able to ride or see my horses during quarantine due to the stay-at-home order, so she invited me over to see her animals. I used to dog sit for her, so Porter (standing) and Pepe (laying) were thrilled to see me. After a long walk through the fields, we enjoyed quiet time in the aisle of her barn watching her horses, Paddington (pictured) and Annie (not shown), graze in their field.

Millie lays in front of my deflated "Congratulations" ballon that my Aunt Kathy sent me for winning my first collegiate horse show in March. It had taken me two full years to qualify for the Regional Championships two weeks after that show, but the remainder of our season was cancelled the following weekend. I struggled to throw away the balloon, as it felt like the official end of my collegiate riding career when it hit the trashcan.

The chaos of this photo perfectly describes the wave of emotions I felt packing up my college apartment to move back to my childhood home for the indefinite future. I felt cheated, angry, sad and nostalgic to see the apartment I called home packed into plastic containers in less than two hours, weeks before I even get to graduate.

Oliver basks in the glowing light as the sun sets on another day stuck at home. The magical thing about my cats is that they are always the first to find the tiniest ray of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy day. Nothing has changed for him, as he's lived exclusively in our home for the majority of his life, yet he still finds joy in those last fading rays everyday. I think we could learn a lot from him.

After much consideration, my mom and I embarked on another puzzle journey in an attempt to redeem ourselves from the cat and pug puzzle. We found the "random cut" pieces of this horse puzzle much more fulfilling. We had the lid of the box propped up so that we could see the full image on the front, but Sadie insisted that it was more important for her to relax. She stayed and watched us from her box (yes, it was now hers) for over an hour.

One aspect of quarantine that has made my heart so full has been reconnecting with my childhood friends. We grew up together in this neighborhood, but had grown apart since starting college. Morgan Pailthorp (R) was my childhood best friend, and this time has allowed us to spend many a nights catching up over wine and a bonfire in her backyard, from a safe distance of course. I'll cherish this time we've been gifted to spend together forever. 

It's the queen, Sadie, again. You may have noticed from previous pictures that she is fiercely independent and incredibly strong-willed. In more ways than one, she's trained my entire family to tend to her every beck and call. One of her favorite things is to be scratched like this, on both sides of her face, and my mom is aways happy to oblige.

My mom and dad sit in the living room together every night while catching up on the days news on their phones. My mom prefers to stay informed by looking at local COVID-19 statistics, while my dad hates hearing about the pandemic and looks at work emails instead. They keep the TV tuned to a neutral car show they both enjoy.

My mom and I have always been incredibly close, but she has truly been my rock during this uncertain time in my life. I feel so blessed to have someone in my life that understands and supports me in everything I do. This picture of her and "her boy" will always make me smile. She loves him, and all the important people in her life, fully and fiercely.

And this is where the story comes to a end... for now. This chapter of my life is closed, like the door to my empty college apartment, but this isn't the end. My best friend's horse just brought a new life into the world, and watching mother and foal run around their field in unison sparked a sense of hope in me that this too shall pass, and we will all triumphantly re-emerge into society soon. Until then, we will stay safe and stay healthy in our homes.