Dear Diary: Online video chats are good, but nothing beats hanging out with friends

CBCCalgarywants to knowhow you are living these days. What are you doing differently? What makes you laugh? Cry? Scream? Have you started a new hobby? Let us know.

In thisinstalment of our series, Dear Diary: In a Time of COVID-19, we hear from Marigold Mioc. She isa 10-year-old Grade 5 student living in Calgary. This submission has been edited for clarity and length.

I'm part of an international online learning group, and it helps me to feel connected and less isolated during these times.

As a youth ambassador for the educational organization hundrED, I have been lucky to meet many new friends from countries like Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Thailand and more. I have learned how to say goodbye in many different languages, and have learned which countries border Macedonia.

My favourite part has been learning about what kids in other countries eat for snacks. I learned that people in New Zealand eat something called Vegemite!

It is so fun to see what other students are doing and how they are coping during the pandemic. Some girls in Vietnam created their own XtalksWorldListensspeech. Their talk was recorded and broadcast on national television! A boy in London has been doing live concerts online, singing and playing instruments.

One funny thing was when we all had to draw each other that really made us laugh!

It's amazing to see how much we have in common and also how different things are.One boy in the U.S.A. shared about his robotics hobby, and a student in Vietnam shared a live video tour of a market in Hanoi while she was shopping with her mother.

One thing that's been hardis to see one of my best friends who also lives in Calgary on the call, and knowing that I can't see her yet in real life.

It's hard to be physically away from friends, but this online connection really helps a lot and helps me manage until things go back to normal.

I am looking forward to upcoming projects with my new friends, planning things like an online play, podcasts and a music collaboration.

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