Dealing with the Coronavirus as an international college student
By: Lucas Heili
Tags: Coronavirus, College, International, Students

What I’ve gone through, what I’ve done and what I’ve learnt from a life-changing experience

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

When we all chanted “Happy New Year” at midnight the 31st of December of 2019, greeting 2020 surrounded by champagne and our loved ones, no one would have predicted that barely three months into the new decade, we would be dealing with a global pandemic. I speak from a privileged position; I am healthy, have access to food, water, shelter, and some money to spend on books and video games to occupy my time. However, I do find myself in a position, as most international students have. I am far away from my family, living alone in a relatively small apartment, and with very little to no contact with the outside world. I tried to go out and enjoy some of the sunniest days in the whole year, but found myself in front of a thick locked iron door, preventing me from enjoying the fresh air in my building’s terrace. Being confined inspired me to reflect and write down my experience.

I lied. I am not alone, or at least not completely alone; I live with my sister. We share a small apartment in Barcelona. Most of the time, we get along. Since we are only two years apart, we have more than a few things in common, but we do have different personalities and our means of entertainment differ from each other.

This is not an impediment for us to talk, and sometimes, even to have fun. Nonetheless, after being forced to stay at home, without interacting with other people except through a smartphone, tablet or computer, problems arose after a couple of weeks.

Small things that usually seem insignificant mean the world to us, and became perfect ammunition to begin arguing with my roommate. We haven’t talked to each other for days, which is pretty awkward when you are confined in a small space.

We both know that patience and understanding are much needed, but sometimes, arguing over the small things has served us to relief stress and anxiety. Fortunately, technology allows us to keep in touch with our family back in Colombia. The ability to cut distances short through social media gets to the point to which even in small arguments we call our parents to act as referees, as they used to do when we lived with them. Still, this is no replacement for the real thing; being able to hug them, kiss them or just spend time with them brings more comfort than what any sort of technology can give you.

The distance between us and our family, plus the state of emergency, led me to reflect on my own and to realise how important people around me can be, and how often I take them for granted. These people were my parents, my younger brother and my dog, but for others, it may be a friend, a grandparent or their partner. It’s the small details, like a mother’s hug or some words of encouragement from your father, that tend to be unappreciated when you get them too often.

To fight boredom and the feeling of unproductivity that came with isolation, I had to scratch my head and come up with ideas. I am a fit person, so working out was among my top priorities. I found that with the virus affecting countries all around the world, the most respected trainers, athletes and fitness influencers uploaded tons of content to Youtube. I thought of producing online videos myself, but I was discouraged by the amount of work that scripting, filming and editing implies. I also lack a base of subscribers, which is to be expected if you have never shared content online.

Despite having unlimited access to fitness, nutrition advice and motivational videos, I found myself dissatisfied with my training. If you are an outside person like me, quarantine can take an additionally heavy toll. Firstly because going to the gym is a ritual for me, putting my headphones on, stretching and warming up, and talking to trainers makes up an essential part of my routine. Secondly, because I live in a small apartment, I don’t have enough space nor material for all my workouts. And finally, the mental aspect involved in working out has been affected by the pandemic and the confinement. Working out at home is still better than doing nothing. It has served me not only to stay in shape but to keep my mind off the most stressful matters. I am still looking forward to going back to the gym, much in the same way a child that is only a few weeks away from his birthday.

Another helpful and enriching activity for me has been, without a single doubt, reading. Since I moved to Barcelona, I abandoned the habit of reading daily. In addition to adapting to a new country, I had to deal with university and socializing. Thus, I had forgotten the easing sensation of sitting down with a book that you genuinely enjoy. I decided to approach reading as I normally do, by reading a book of fiction and one of non-fiction simultaneously. I learn new skills and acquire knowledge about a certain field, and when it gets overwhelming or I simply feel like taking my mind off things, I read a novel or short story.

Because I could not bring all my books from home to Barcelona, I made one of the best purchases of my life, a kindle that has come indispensable in these times. I didn’t have to run to a bookstore on the day before quarantine to buy books, and I have saved myself from any contact with a courier that may have the virus. I personally consider reading to be one of the most satisfying, worthwhile and thought-provoking ways of investing time during a quarantine, it also does not require much money nor space to be done; just access to books or the internet.

This situation most definitely caught me by surprise, as for the vast majority of the world population, and although if I were back home with my family, I would be more comfortable, this is my reality and I feel lucky to be alive, healthy, and in control of my mental faculties. As Aristotle allegedly said, “it is during our darkest moments in which we must focus to see the light”. This crisis will pass, and we shall learn from it and come out as better people.