Written By: Karina Peña and Family, FCSN East Bay Adult Day Program client

When we first began distance learning, I didn’t understand why I couldn’t attend my program in person. Seeing everyone on the computer helped, but it was not the same. My family would tell me it was because of “sick.” Whenever we passed by a school, I would say, “No school, uh-oh, SICK.”

In August, all that changed. I was told that I would be going back to my program in person for two days a week. While I was not sure what to expect because it had been so long, I was excited and a bit apprehensive. The night before my first day back, I was unsure, but I was reassured that it was the same program, just with changes to make sure that we could all stay “no sick.” My family did some back-to-school shopping and I loved all of my new clothes. I had a new backpack that had been packed away since before the pandemic even began that I hadn’t even used yet.

On the morning of my first day back, I was quite excited. I had on a new outfit with a new mask and, of course, my new backpack. Despite not having been to my program in person in 16 months, I knew exactly what to do–or at least I thought I did. Just as before, I ran through the double doors to put my backpack in my spot because I was so delighted to be back. To my surprise, I completely missed the new protocol and had to come back to get a temperature check before I officially began my first day back. I look forward to Mondays and Tuesdays for in-person instruction each week and can’t wait until I can go every day when it is healthy and safe to do so.