So I love this meme, and it certainly describes my mood for the past two and a half weeks. With that being said, this is not at all fine. Graduation is postponed, all of our classes (including labs?!) are online, we can’t go out and do anything or see anyone, and to top it all off a killer virus is sweeping the globe. While listing all of that out feels exhausting at best, the day-to-day of it is what’s most grinding. It’s hard to focus on school or work when it feels like life will never go back to normal. But I know I don’t have to anyone that. Perhaps the only comforting thing in this debacle we’re currently calling life on earth is that we’re all going through the same thing.
Now that we’ve gotten through my emotions though, I’ll get to the real stuff. Upon the postponing of commencement and the decision to put classes online indefinitely, I decided it was time I pack my bags and fly home before all the flights were cancelled. So on to south Texas I went! But of course it wasn’t that easy. Only after one cancelled flight, 45 minutes on the phone with American Airlines, and several day-before connecting flight changes did I find myself at RDU waiting to board my flight. It was at this point in time that I saw something horrifying. Something that probably gives explanation as to how this virus is spreading like wildfire despite all of this “quarantining.” From my safe 6+ feet away seat I saw a woman go up to the airline counter wearing an N-95 surgical mask. She then proceeded to take off the mask to talk to the attendant and put the mask face down on the counter and then when finished speaking put the mask back on her face! Needless to say this made want to curl into a ball and be placed in a trash bag for the reminder of my flying experience. Please people, get it together.
Nonetheless, I did eventually make it home Monday afternoon just in time to jump into online classes. The time change has been a little tricky for remembering my classes, but other than that I’m very fortunate to be able to come home. I can’t lie though, this is stressful. Extremely stressful. I have an incredible newfound respect for our healthcare workers and grocery store clerks and other essential employees who are out everyday facing exposure. So yeah, this scary and inconvenient and extremely isolating. But being home has been a stress reducer–especially being home with my dog Daisy! Stay safe everyone, please please please follow the quarantine rules–as Dr. Cramer would say, wash your hands, don’t touch your face!
Victims of Virulence 