Transition into Online Learning

By Erinn Lyden | Media & Communication Class

This Spring 2020 semester was full of fun times, exotic adventures, and meaningful memories until the Coronavirus appeared in Europe.

Italy faced its first wave of COVID19 on February 23rd as the number of reported cases grew from fewer than five to more than 150.

In the Lombardy region, officials locked down 10 towns after a cluster of cases suddenly emerged in Codogno, southeast of Milan.

By February 28th, Italy, already reaching over 800 cases, remained an area of concern.

On February 29th, FSU Florence was released for spring break and four of my classmates and I were enjoying ourselves in the Croatian national park of Krka when, on our way back home, we received an email telling us to pack up our belongings and return to the States, and that we would transition into online learning. At that moment, we were devastated. None of us had packed our computers to be able to leave directly from Croatia, so we booked the next flight out to Florence, cutting short what was supposed to be our epic spring break trip. Those next 48 hours would be the fastest 48 hours of my life, topped with a spiraling swirl of emotions. Let me give you a glimpse of what it was like.

March 1st

10:30 PM: I do not think I have ever packed so many belongings so quickly, stuffing an array of items wherever they fit in my luggage, leaving replaceable items behind.

March 2

1:30 AM: I finally finished packing so my friends and I, being the only ones in the Stinche apartments, decided to commemorate and remember our last night in Italy. We decided to get a doner kebab, a late-night favorite, from the best kebab chef, in Florence Ali, who works at a kebab shop near our dorm. Kebabs in hand, we slowly made our way back to the apartment, stopping at a nearby photobooth to create physical memories from our last night together in Florence.

4:30 AM: We arrive back in our apartment to say our goodbyes after taking a stroll through the quiet city, trying to salvage our favorite parts of our second home while no one was out and about.

11:00 AM: I woke up wanting to see the city one final time before I had to head to the airport at 4. I made stops at all my favorite places including what I think is the best gelateria in Florence, Gelateria Caffè delle Carrozze, located next to the Ponte Vecchio.

2:30 PM: My final stop was The Lion’s Fountain, my favorite Irish pub. I ordered my usual, a Magners Apple Cider and sat in my usual spot, the table in the back next to the TV. I will admit, I shed a few tears because I could not believe how quickly my time in Italy was ending and because of how sad I was to have to leave.

March 3

7:00 PM: I arrived back in Miami, not ready to face my new reality. Little did I know that for the next two weeks, before Floridians were ordered to stay at home, I would be asked by everyone I encountered if I had the virus. I was even kicked out of one of my best friend’s houses because I had been in Italy and her parents were terrified of me infecting them with a virus I did not even have.

The transition to online learning was not the easiest.

There was no more walking to class with friends, no more in-class discussions, no more Italy. My life now has simply become filled with homework that was supposed to be classwork done at home.

We were swamped with work for the first couple of days, trying to play catch up being 5 hours behind and 5,000 miles away. I am just starting to get into the groove of things now being a few weeks into our classroom transition.

I miss having social interactions with my professors and friends but I guess this format will have to do for now until the pandemic is over.

Although my time abroad was cut short, I’m grateful for the people I got to meet through FSU Florence and the family we created.