2021 Gumbo final - Book - Page 64
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quarantine hobbies
W
hen COVID-19 abruptly shut down school and
people had to be stuck in their houses, they
turned to many different hobbies. From baking
bread, recording TikTok dances and watching new Netflix
shows, there are several different hobbies people picked
up during quarantine. Stuck inside the house for 14 days
or more, there are hundreds of unique possibilities people
came up with.
One particular trend people hopped on was watching a
documentary series on Netflix called “Tiger King.” The sevenepisode series follows Joe Exotic, an animal breeder who
turned a horse stable into one of the country’s largest private
zoos, the industry of big cat breeding, and with several other
characters along the way. In the first episode it is revealed
that Exotic is currently in prison for a murder-for-hire plot to
kill rival Carole Baskin, the CEO of Big Cat Rescue. According
to Business Insider, “Tiger King” was watched by over 34
million viewers in the United States in the first 10 days of its
release. Mike the Tiger clearly has some competition as to
who the real tiger king is.
Another interesting pastime people turned to during
quarantine was baking bread. The panic about Coronavirus
emptied grocery store shelves, leaving people at a shortage
of toilet paper, paper towels and even bread. Everyone
seemed to start with learning to make sourdough bread and
started from scratch. Some people would even expand their
horizons and attempt to make banana bread. Baking bread
is proven to have a lot of psychological benefits, as well. It
is a form of self-expression and a healthy distraction, which
can overall come to be a major form of stress relief from the
pandemic.
While people around the world participated in these
popular trends, LSU students found their own ways to cope
as well.
“I’ve been hand embroidering for a few years now, so that
was a big part of my time in quarantine, but I also started
roller skating!” sophomore Isabelle Morgan said. “It’s the
perfect hobby to get into when you’re social distancing
because you can just practice in your driveway and not worry
about other people.”
Freshman Chrissy D’Elisa said she spent her time knitting
during quarantine. “I’ve always knitted but I knit a blanket
during quarantine.”
Another freshman, Nicole Lopez, said she spent her time
making collages during her time stuck inside.
“I made a few different pieces with lots of different
themes based on different color combinations. My favorite
aspect is the entire process: looking through different
magazines, looking for different objects, etc.” said Lopez.
Though people have faced many hardships through this
quarantine, it is good to know that so many people found
ways to keep themselves occupied in these tough times.
Whether it was something out in nature or even staying in
their backyard, the options were endless. This lockdown for
sure allowed for people’s creativity to take flight.