Thanks to vaccination efforts, people have started to meet each other without fear of the virus — all in a span of two months.

Once sports teams started to meet up for practice, De Anza College’s head volleyball coach Dawnis Guevara said she was excited.

“Approximately two and a half weeks ago, I was able to see my student athletes again in the gym,” Guevara said. “There was a sense of ‘finally’ and the excitement of being able to go back to campus.”

This excitement carried over to people reuniting with their families. Anne Tran, a 20-year-old computer science major, got to meet her whole family after a year of distancing.

“The last time I met my whole family was last February of 2020, for the Chinese New Year’s,” Tran said. “On Christmas, for example, my whole family would go visit Christmas in the Park at Downtown San Jose and then open gifts at my house. But this year, Christmas in the Park was a drive-through, so our family’s tradition was balanced to sending everyone’s gifts through mail.”

Tran planned a trip to Lake Tahoe during the Memorial Day weekend and said she was excited to reunite with everyone.

“I’m excited and anticipate all the updates my cousins and I have for each other,” Tran said. “I can’t wait to meet and create more memories with my family like how we used to.”

Students are also reuniting with friends. Vy Nguyen, 19, psychology major, said that she enjoys reconnecting with hers for lunch dates.

“It felt weird to only communicate with my friends through social media or FaceTime calls,” Nguyen said. “But now that I’m able to finally meet them again, I’m relieved. It’s like being able to breathe again.”