A Marist in Manhattan Student's Experience with COVID-19
When I decided I wanted to participate in the Marist in Manhattan program for the Spring semester of my junior year, I had no idea New York City would become the epicenter of a worldwide pandemic. The thought hadn’t crossed my mind even a few days before I was forced to leave my dorm. That’s how fast this disease has moved in recent weeks. Almost like a natural disaster, I was rushed out so quickly that I wasn’t able to bring all of my belongings home with me back to Somerville, Massachusetts. I’m unsure if I will ever be able to retrieve those belongings, since no one has the slightest idea of this virus’ timetable. Today I’m just happy I got out when I did.
I left on March 13. By that time, the virus had already started to affect the city. On the subway, people were wearing masks and gloves, avoiding any direct contact with their hands. They were still exploring the streets and dining in restaurants, not knowing how much would change in the coming weeks. Today, Manhattan is a ghost town. The pictures of Times Square barren are chilling to say the least. The city that has never slept is now taking a nap.
Since the day I left New York, life has been both a whirlwind and a drag. Overall, time goes by slowly, but the days themselves are fleeting. I returned home when it was still acceptable to gather in small groups, so I was able to meet up with some friends. But now we’re forced to chat through iPhone screens or group text messages.
The toughest part about all of this is our growing uncertainty. The virus has caused such upheaval in the world as a whole but I haven’t been able to truly process how much of an impact it’s had on my life so far. Partly because we aren’t sure how this will end. We’re still in the infancy stage of this virus and the total disruption is unknown. At this point, I’m just hoping that I will be able to return to the Marist campus this Fall. I could possibly be quarantined for my 21st birthday and who knows what will happen to the internship opportunity I had lined up this summer. If you had told me I wouldn’t be able to celebrate my 21st birthday and that I’d be jobless this summer, I would have been fuming. However, I’m not mad. I feel far more confused and uncertain than upset. It’s hard to be upset about things like not having your first legal drink at a bar while hundreds of thousands of people are going to die from this virus in the coming months.
As time continues we will need to adapt to the new world that we are living in. But right now that’s extremely tough. Everyone’s world has been completely turned upside down and we don’t quite know how to deal with that. The overarching feelings I’ve had while dealing with this pandemic have been disappointment and gratefulness. While I am extremely frustrated that I won’t be able to finish my semester in Manhattan, I am also happy that I am home, safe and with my family. Those are the things that matter in times like these. I don’t know if people truly realize how tragic these times are. It seems so surreal that we aren’t able to cope with the true ramifications of the virus. I hope that as we learn more about this pandemic, we will come to terms with the situation and humanity as a whole. In the end, I am hopeful that this pandemic will end up bringing us closer to one another, something that doesn’t happen often enough these days.