‘I was completely alone’: Life in a time of COVID-19

Samia Souikni, Bachelor student, Italy

1. Originally from Greece, you were in Italy for an Erasmus exchange program. When the outbreak first broke out in Italy, why did you decide to stay?

It was mid-February when the coronavirus broke out in Italy and I had only been there for a couple of weeks. I decided to stay first of all, because I wasn’t able to convince myself that my exchange was over. Also, I would have had to give back my Erasmus grant, which is provided by the European Union to help with rent payments. I had already spent most of it to pay for my rent, so I wasn’t able to give all the money back. And lastly, if I left I would’ve failed the university courses I was taking and I needed to pass them in order to complete my degree.

2. Do you regret your decision not to leave? It must’ve been scary staying in a country where so many cases were being recorded.

In theory, yes it was scary but I don’t regret my decision to stay here. It turned out to be an excellent decision academically and also, I haven’t had enough time to explore Rome. So I will now be able to travel until the beginning of July when I will be able to return to Greece.

3. How are you feeling at the moment? There’s still alot of uncertainty around the world about what the post-COVID future will look like.

I have mixed feelings to be honest. I am disappointed because my Erasmus experience was nothing like I could have imagined. I didn’t have enough time to see the city and travel around Italy. But at the end of the day the pandemic is something that affected everyone around the globe. I am just happy with my decision to stay because I am still here and I can still do the things that I had originally planned.

But at the same time, being completely alone all day, everyday for two-and-a-half months was the hardest thing. Coming here, I was excited to make new friends and explore the country, learn more about the culture and learn how to speak Italian, the basics at least, and make memories in general because this was supposed to be a once in a lifetime experience. It has been a very difficult time for me.

I was getting mad very easily and especially with the people that were trying to comfort me. I felt that an opportunity I had got lost and I am not sure I can do something similar ever again. I really hope that in the future I will have another chance to make up for the time that I lost, maybe in another place. Still I hold on to the memories I made here in Italy and the memories I will make before it’s time for me to get back home.

Sheenam Prasad, Psychology student, New Zealand

1. How has the coronavirus crisis been handled in New Zealand?

New Zealand went into a strict lockdown pretty early on when we only had about 100 COVID-19 cases and zero deaths. I think NZ has dealt with the crisis really well, as the strict lockdown decreased the chances of COVID-19 transmission and eventually lead to the elimination of the virus.

2. How are you feeling at the moment? There’s still alot of uncertainty around the world about what the post-COVID future will look like.

At first, being in isolation and having to practise social distancing felt really weird because I’ve never experienced it before. It was kind of scary too realising the seriousness of the virus. I would definitely say the worst parts of isolation were probably not being able to see other family members and friends and also how hard it became to do grocery shopping.

But it was also quite nice to be able to stay home and have so much free time and not have to worry about work and being stuck in traffic and things like that. It made me realise the important things in life. I had a chance to spend lots of time with family during the lockdown. It’s very rare that I get to do that. It also gave me time for self-care, self reflection, and I cooked more – which is usually hard with work and study and being busy all the time.

Right now, I’m just grateful to live in a country like NZ and that I was able to be with family during this time.

Matthew Feiler, Recent graduate, New Jersey, United States

1. How has the coronavirus crisis been handled in New Jersey?

The United States has really been dealing with the crisis on a state by state basis. But in New Jersey, they firstly put us on a curfew so we weren’t allowed out of our houses, on the roads or in public between 8pm and 5am. And then after that, they pretty much closed down most of the state and only essential businesses were allowed to stay open like grocery stores, chemists, etc. So if you needed food or gas, they were basically the only reasons you were allowed to be on the road.

But I think New Jersey is now planning on reopening again in phases. The essential businesses will open first and then once that phase seems to be working okay, they will move to the next phase until everything gets back to normal.

2. How are you feeling at the moment? There’s still alot of uncertainty around the world about what the post-COVID future will look like.

It’s been hard for me. First of all, my last semester in my senior year at Ithaca College was taken away from me. I was still able to finish classes online which was great, but I thought I was going to be on campus to end my senior year. I also didn’t know that my last class ever was going to be online. I didn’t know that I wasn’t going to be able to say bye to my friends and my professors. I just didn’t get to have those traditions that typical seniors and the graduating class get to go through, which was sad.

Also my family is great but there’s five of us – me (22), my middle brother (19), my younger brother (12) and my parents. Being on top of each other all the time is really tough. My dad has been working from home and my two brothers had online classes as well. So to have all of our own lives and schedules put into a shared space was really hard to transition to.

I guess at the same time I can say that it’s been nice to be home and take it easy. I had a very busy schedule at university so I would constantly be going from a class, to a meeting, to a catch up with friends. There was just so much. And now it’s been nice to sort of be in my own bed, in my room and be home with my family. To sort of end my senior year in a way that’s a little bit more relaxing and less stressful than it actually was at school. I’ve been able to tap into that ‘quality’ aspect of life a little bit and that’s been quite nice.

Sandra L. Midelf, Small business owner, Sweden

1. How has the coronavirus crisis been handled in Sweden?

In Sweden we are very calm about the whole thing I’d say, compared to a lot of other countries. We have our borders open though very clear recommendations not to travel. We are informed to keep our distance and most companies and institutions have adapted to the situations. High schools are closed and digital tools are helping people work from home.

I think the government rely heavily on people using their common sense and I think most people do. Though we are quite relaxed about the whole thing. One might argue that we haven’t been strict enough or acted fast enough. I do think decisions could’ve been made faster in regards to locking down the schools for example, but I also think that we have been good at having in mind the consequences of shutting everything down.

For example, I think it is insane that people have been completely forbidden to go outside in some countries because that seems more like a political gesture than a thought-out solution that will actually help. But then again, we are still in this and the future is not completely clear to anyone. I just think that after a long, dark winter, people are looking forward to being outside and doing things.

2. How are you feeling at the moment? There’s still alot of uncertainty around the world about what the post-COVID future will look like.

I’m all good. I don’t feel worried. Not yet at least. It is a bit rough economically, but it will work out. I think it is worse when it hits someone close to you (or if you are part of a risk group yourself), and I’m sorry to all of those who have to suffer because of this. I also think it is sad that many companies don’t survive.

I do find it inspiring to see how people manage despite this crisis, both companies and private people. They find other ways to keep their businesses open and other ways of connecting with their loved ones. When people are facing the same problem it kind of brings them together. Personally, I’ve found time to actually start up my own company, making plans etc. Many would perhaps say that it is a really bad time to start a company, but I disagree. When this is over, I will be ready because of the time I’ve spent on preparation!