PLUS ME Spotlight: Dr. Monique Ohashi

PLUS ME is excited to announce the official Pandemic Perspectives Book Launch! GEAR UP and PLUS ME collaborated to capture the stories of the GEAR UP community and compiled an important and unprecedented time in our history by sharing real stories from young people who lived through a pandemic.

Here is a story from Dr. Monique Ohashi, GEAR UP 4 LA Coordinator

When I first heard about California’s stay-at-home order to slow down the spread of COVID-19 back in March, I was relieved to know that I would be safe at home with my family while also working from home. I ecstatically jumped for joy knowing that I would not have to worry about dropping off and picking up my four children at four different locations; nor did I have to feel stressed about trying to follow the ever-changing GPS directions to avoid as much traffic as possible to get to work by 7:10 a.m. every morning.

The thought of just avoiding any form of commute gave me a glimpse of hope that I would be able to make better use of my time and finally could have the opportunity to improve my quality of life. Unfortunately, my feelings of exhilaration were short-lived…BIG TIME.

“Is there anything to eat right now?”

“The baby ripped my book and now she’s writing on the walls!”

“How do I solve this hard math problem?”

“Why is my laptop not working again?”

“Can we go to Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Hawaii soon?”

“I forgot my mask again!”

Those were just some of the things that I would hear from my children throughout the day while my husband and I were trying to work from home. I felt like a hot mess as I attempted to wear many hats at home, feeling emotionally exhausted and frustrated 24 hours a day. 7 days a week. The euphoric emotion that I developed back in March quickly dwindled within a matter of days. That is when reality finally sunk in.

The pandemic was not going to end any time soon, so I knew I had to do something different….STAT! Our family of six needed to remain safe at home, however, staying cooped up indoors seemed to have detrimental effects on all of us.

We were constantly arguing or upset at one another, as this pandemic reminded us of all the things that we now are not able to do. My husband longed to watch movies at the local AMC theatre; my eldest daughter missed seeing her friends and playing high school basketball; my second child longed to hang out and play with his middle school friends; my 7-year-old son craved going on family trips; and my curious baby simply wanted to continue to explore our world.

My husband and I finally made time to have a long and serious conversation, and we finally compromised on making some changes for the better.

Although we wanted to save more money due to the uncertainties of pandemic life, we decided to make some purchases that would improve our quality of life during these challenging times.

Since our “talk,” we purchased a large projector screen so that we could watch Netflix movies in the comfort of our own backyard. In addition, my daughter now participates in virtual Zoom basketball sessions with her basketball teammates. My middle school son learned how to stay connected with his friends through online gaming (only during the weekends) and FaceTime, while my 7-year-old son now owns a Power Wheels jeep and drives it around the neighborhood to simulate the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. Last, but not least, we currently have regular outdoor play sessions and eat dinner outside so that my toddler can continue to explore the beautiful world in which we live.

Nowadays, I can honestly say that we feel more connected to one another as a family unit, and we truly look forward to doing the little things in life together, such as having a relaxing evening under the stars after a long day of work and distance learning.

We learned that staying positive, focusing on what we CAN do, and making some creative adjustments to our lifestyle allowed us to appreciate one another and persevere during these challenging, unprecedented times.