Students used to only use the term “corona” in a light-hearted, careless manner. A noun. The drink they would have on a hot day in a beer garden, with a lime in the top. Since the last summer that they had it, the meaning has altered completely, to something unimaginably sinister. Still a noun. But this time, a killer virus.
For many students like myself, working from home hasn’t been easy. When face-to face lectures that usually allow you to absorb and utilise information, are overnight replaced by long detailed emails and buffering Zoom calls, adapting to carry out Uni at home wasn’t easy. But when the News the past few weeks is filled with articles and claims about education systems opening back up in September, and when you’ve already signed and paid for your house next year (!), it is completely normal to feel stressed about having to adapt all over again. However, this time, the stress is different. We are being asked to adapt back into being Uni students again – but with the pandemic still going on.
For those lucky like myself, I don’t suffer from anything that would make me “vulnerable” to the virus. Although awful and I, of course, will still avoid catching it at all costs, the chances of it being life threatening to me are slim. But the healthy students, like myself, are still affected by it in another way. Coming from a family that has 2 members at home that are extremely “vulnerable”, in turn, puts me, as a student, in a very scary position. Whereas the last few weeks have resulted in being exceptionally careful when seeing friends, not leaving the house without a mask, and cleaning down the food shopping, life as of September will be very different. We will be able to go to the pub again without the worry of infecting a family member, see our friends without needing to anti-bac our hands every 10 seconds. But none of this new found freedom means anything, when you’re prevented from going back home again.
From living back in a student shared house with several other people, and mixing again in a student based city and on the transport links, we all know the risks of going back to Uni life. It means that once we’ve left home, we don’t know when we’ll next be able to come back again. Although a difficult next few months lie ahead, there is reassurance and comfort in the fact that we’re surrounded by other people who are all in the same boat. Other friends who can’t go back home. Other friends who want to protect their loved ones. And thanks to the ever-increasing technology, it’s never been easier to keep in daily contact with those that we care about, when going home is prevented.
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