Sade S.: Charlottesville, VA, USA
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Title
Sade S.: Charlottesville, VA, USA
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My story
I hope that this upcoming year will bring a lot of reassurance. The pandemic was obviously difficult for everyone--in many different ways--but I don't think there has been a time in my life that uncertainty has ever taken such a toll on me. Pre-COVID, my comfort zone was being uncomfortable. I went out of state for college, chose to go on Semester at Sea for my abroad experience, and signed up as a KAHAL Intern not knowing what the semester would have in store. Despite not knowing the outcomes of these actions, however, I chose them and had control. With COVID, any sort of agency I had was taken away and it was very hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. No need to get into details, but I lost a lot of optimism that had previously defined my outlook on life. We've now spent two Passovers in quarantine, and I have never felt more connected to the Exodus story. Despite being physically isolated, celebrating a story of hope with the Jewish community really helped me rediscover my optimism. With vaccinations in sight (and in my body), I'm finally excited to move on from the anxiety around uncertainty and embrace it knowing that everything will be ok :)