Over a year ago, it was announced over the intercom that the students of Yorba Linda High School were going to be taking a two-week break from school while the nation attempted to contain the quick spread of COVID-19. When we heard this news 一 I think it is safe for me to say on behalf of most of the students 一 we were confused, worried, surprised, and even happy that we were being given such a long break on such short notice. Little did we know that the “long,” two-week break would turn into the rest of the year and another semester before Yorba Linda High School opened its doors back up for the students that chose a hybrid learning environment.

Now, Yorba Linda High School is combining the cohorts, and students are back on the grind! As life goes back to somewhat normal, it’s back to waking up early, getting ready for school, going to class, studying all night, and taking exams. I will admit, just thinking about all that added stress and pressure makes me want to go back to when quarantining first began. One thing is for sure, there were so many fun trends to hop on that made life during COVID-19 a lot more enjoyable. 

Being the food lover that I am, there were some trends that I was quick to try which took place in the kitchen. One hobby that I and other students adopted was baking bread. I could not go a day without seeing freshly made sourdough bread on my Instagram feed. Kneadless to say (L.O.L.), I had to see for myself what the hype was all about. Pretty soon after that, I and my family stopped buying bread from the store and just made our own. Fun fact: there was actually a shortage of yeast in grocery stores during the peak of this obsession. 

If I wasn’t making bread from scratch, I was definitely drinking coffee. Due to my coffee addiction, I also had to try out dalgona coffee, which is better known as “whipped coffee” on Tik Tok. “As soon as I kept seeing people whip their coffee on my for you page, I really wanted to try it out for myself,” says Matthew Lindqvist (12). All you have to do is foam up equal parts instant coffee, sugar, water, and pour it over a glass of milk. Although I would still prefer a cold brew, dalgona coffee was definitely a trend I did not regret trying.

Speaking of Tik Tok, that app practically took over our social lives while we were isolating ourselves from COVID-19. More specifically, Tik Tok dances. This one is pretty self-explanatory, but from Megan Thee Stallion to Charli D’Amelio, Tik Tok users have been uploading and going viral because of several Tik Tok dances and challenges like #savagechallenge, #therenegade, and #gocrazychallenge.

Another major trend during the pandemic was online gaming. To be more precise, Club Penguin and Among Us. Like millions of other people that were trapped inside their homes, unable to socialize with the outside world due to quarantine restrictions, I resorted to Club Penguin and Among Us as a way to interact with friends and make new, virtual ones. In fact, Among Us was so trendy during the pandemic that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez streamed with other famous gamers to promote voter registration.

From baking bread to online gaming, this year has been quite an odd one. Fortunately, the viral trends that prospered throughout the pandemic helped distract us from the chaos that COVID-19 stirred up. Hopefully soon, we can look back on these unusual trends and laugh at how they managed to keep all of us sane during these hectic times.