If you’re like me, you’re a cute, stylish gal with a killer sense of humor, but dating has never been your forte. You waited for the day to go back to your college campus and meet the “one,” only for COVID-19 to kill your dreams once again. With the lack of meet-cutes at the bars and fraternity parties, can gals, like us, match someone purely based on the internet?
Whether you admit it to yourself or not, we as young women have carefully cultivated a specific image of ourselves on the internet. Making sure every picture is perfectly planned to be seenby everyone we know. We then transfer those images to our Tinder, Bumble, and other dating profiles hopeful of finding someone. My friends and I all seem to have the same issue. Claiming, “what’s the point?” for endless swiping only to be disappointed by being left on read and foolish questions like “what’s up.” Multiple people, including myself, have complained about these two words! I mean, really, what’s up? Come on, guys! Here’s what’s up: I have been stuck in my house for six months, I do nothing but watch TV trying to distract myself from the impending doom of America, I try to see my friends every once in a while, but mostly it’s a daily routine of, wake up, take my anti-depressants, make myself work out then watch another season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
That’s the truth, and in return, we all reply, “just hanging with friends.” Yet, with all of this frustration, we still accept these silly notifications with glee. The attention feels nice for a change and creates an internal nostalgic feeling in our souls from when we could go out freely without wondering if the mask matches the outfit.
As depressing as this all sounds, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Although I have STILL yet to find my own “corona cutie,” I have strengthened my other relationships. Quarantining with my family has made me realize how important they are to me, and how amusing can be. During this time, I was able to bond with my younger siblings; the last time we were forced to hang out was in elementary school. Together we got competitive in Rummikub, started a very short-lived podcast, and watched every Harry Potter film for the first time. Without this pandemic, we would be simply siblings, but now we are more than that; friends.
Back at school, I have been fortunate to live with my best friends during this sometimes lonelyprocess. Honestly, being in their company has made this whole nightmare more bearable. Every day, we find a way to make each other smile and hang out in different ways. For instance, recently, we have been into weekly movie nights, having dinners together, and throwing parties on our porch for the VIP guests of just the three of us. These gals are the backbone of my college experience, and I’m so grateful for our craziness. Yes, of course, we get on each other nerves at times, but we go to our rooms, take a break for an hour or two, then we are all back together, making roommate Tik Toks.
So, in the end, I continue impatiently waiting for the day when I can go to the bars without a mask. Although, for now, I swipe for fun, hoping for the day I’ll find the ”One”. While I wait for that day to come, I keep my friends close, my family closer, because I wouldn’t want to go through this with anyone else.