On March 16, 2020, the governor of Pennsylvania issued a state-wide stay at home order. Up until this point, the Grove was one of the few schools to remain open. But sadly, this order forced the college to close its doors and move to online classes. Almost all students were forced to leave. Some students however, could not leave. Those of us that remained on campus nicknamed ourselves “The Remnant.” For one reason or another, none of us could go home. During my time with The Remnant, I journaled about what life was like on campus.
March 29th, 2020
Classes today went as smoothly as can be expected. It’s still clunky but I suppose that’s to be expected. This evening most of The Remnant met up and did another game night. It was great fun teaching everyone the absurd version of spoons known to the Shirk household. When questioned about my chaotic version of the game, I take great joy in responding: “What’s the name of the game? Spoons or cards?” At one point we ordered pizza, and a guy named Samuel brought some homemade wings. They were quite possibly the best wings I’ve ever had and I wish he had brought more. After playing several games, I fell asleep on one of the couches and slept for around an hour. When I woke up, most people were leaving. I headed back to my room and crashed. I won’t be posting on Saturday as it’s typically my rest day, and as such, I don’t do much other than play video games and nap. My new balisong trainer arrived early on Saturday, but sadly I can’t pick it up until Monday as the mail room is closed on the weekend. All the reviews for it were excellent so I’m excited to try it. -Jacob
The Remnant game nights became a staple of our group. It was a great time for all of us to socialize and blow off steam. Other than spoons, we played everything from Texas Hold ‘Em to Settlers of Catan. These game nights were definitely the highlights of my time with The Remnant. Other than game nights, we also had movie nights and regular meals.
As I mentioned, I take Saturdays as my rest days. On Saturday, I force myself not to do any work, no exceptions. I believe it is very important to have a Sabbath day every week. The day of pure rest is very important for maintaining sanity and preventing burnout. If I had to give one piece of advice to an incoming freshman, it would be to make sure you set up your schedule to have one dedicated rest day.
Stay tuned for further installments of The Remnant!
