Starting college during the pandemic has been a very unique experience. At first it was difficult to cope with the fact that I would not be able to live on campus, meet other people in person, and have the full “college experience” that everyone talks about. Nevertheless, I have been trying to get involved as best I can. Taking Russian 20 over the summer was a great way for me to get a feel for classes at UCLA and start to meet some people. I appreciate that in Russian everyone has their cameras on, so the setting mimics an in-person class and provides a sense of community. Each of my classes has adjusted to the online learning in a different way, and at this point, learning through zoom seems normal (it’s hard for me to imagine walking to classes and sitting in a large lecture hall next to other students). I spend a lot of my time studying for my classes, but in my free time I enjoy playing piano, going on walks and runs outside, and solving sudoku puzzles. I really hope that by Fall the situation will improve so I can finally move to LA, live on campus, make new friends, and truly enjoy the rest of my time in college! :)