If you would have asked me a month ago, how I thought the month of March would go, I never in a million years would have guessed this. Throughout February we heard reports of an epidemic in China. To me, that seemed so far away, and seemed as though it had no effect on me, but that would quickly change. For Spring Break, my friends and I had plans to go to Miami, Florida. We had our plane tickets booked, our Airbnb booked, and an itinerary laid out. Soon after confirming all of our purchases, the first few cases of Covid-19 began to pop up in the United States and the public began to become concerned. We were still planning on going on our trip until UNC imposed a travel advisory to all states who had declared a State of Emergency (Florida was on that list). Even after this, we were STILL planning on going, until our parents, who were rightfully concerned, urged us to cancel the trip, so we did. After hours of staying on the phone trying to get my money back from the airlines and Airbnb, I was more concerned with getting my refunds than the oncoming pandemic.
Having my Spring Break trip get cancelled really upset me, especially when I saw that UNC students still chose to go to Florida and other locations outside of the country. To make matters worse, a couple of days after cancelling my trip, my Study Abroad program in the summer got cancelled as well. I was very excited for this Study Abroad opportunity, and it was basically the last chance I would have had to Study Abroad as an undergraduate student, so this absolutely devastated me. We then got the email telling us that school would essentially be online for the rest of the semester, and we were to stay off of campus. I lugged around the house mad that the Coronavirus was disrupting so many things. My family told me that the things I was losing in that moment had no comparison to the things that other people were losing because of the Coronavirus. This pandemic has taken lives, jobs, and shattered economies. It has truly impacted the world as a whole negatively. This is a great tragedy that we are in, however, college students still have every right to be upset. I have learned that I can acknowledge that there are a lot worse problems people are facing due to this virus and still be upset that a significant portion of my college experience is being taken away. Everyone is experiencing this pandemic in their own unique way, and everyone will cope with this pandemic in their own way. This is unlike something that any of has experienced, so I believe that all feelings are valid.
In all honesty, this situation is scary. I may have downplayed the severity of the virus at first, but now I am completely aware of the gravity of this situation- and it is scary. Being stuck in your house all day, you begin to get anxious. Living with two older parents, I was and still am terrified to go out in public in fear that I will contract the virus and pass it on to them. Seasonal allergies have turned into great fear as I ask myself is my throat sore because of the pollen outside? Or is it sore because I have the Coronavirus? I cannot go anywhere without hearing about this virus. It is all they talk about on the news, it’s every where on social media, and even my own phone sends me updates every couple of hours. As the numbers continue to rise, and our government still scrambles and debates on how to handle the pandemic, all I can do is practice social distancing and pray that this is all over soon. Starting classes back this week has been helpful. Although the stress of schoolwork adds on to the stress I am already feeling from this situation, the classes give structure to my day and prevent me from getting lost in my own thoughts of worry. These are truly unparalleled times, and no one truly knows how to handle it. For me, I am just taking it day by day-that is all you really can do. I am hopeful for the future and truly understand that I can not take any experience for granted!
Diana's Micro World 