COVID-19 Hits Home

Writer Aalia Qazi Designer Helen Hulsey

Everyone has had a unique experience with COVID-19, good or bad, and I would like to share some of what I went through. To preface, I was not affected or harmed in any negative way by the virus, but I have definitely had to transition and adjust to a new form of learning. Never did I think I would be partaking in online schooling involuntarily.

Having my freshman year cut short was painful as so many events and exciting experiences usually happen during the spring semester and everyone is fully adapted to living in their home away from home. Being from Houston, I was excited to move to Austin and be independent, while receiving the best college experience at my dream school. Now that I am home, as much as I complained about how hard school was, I definitely miss Austin and the vibes there.

Our campus is so amazing, and not being able to just walk around or even study at PCL makes me miss it every day. I love being home, but studying at home and having to discipline myself to stay motivated and actually do my work has been tough. I literally cannot focus at home because of the level of comfort I have. When I was in Austin, I would have lazy days, but I knew the main reason I was there was to get an education, so I would push through. Nonetheless, it’s been great spending time with my family because I really missed them, I just wish I could see my cousins more because I’m extremely close to them too. However, in Houston, it is hard to balance spending time with family and school. Not to mention, the boredom hits HARD.

Not being able to leave and constantly finding new ways to be bored has definitely not been the ideal situation, but I know that people have it so much worse. My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone going through this tough time, as we are all going through it together. Hopefully, things will get better and go back to normal soon, if people could stay inside.

When coronavirus was just beginning I didn’t think much about it. I assumed that because I was a reasonably healthy 20-year-old I was going to continue about my life, go to work and school like normal. Maybe I would stock up on some canned foods and toilet paper, but assumed it would all blow over. However, I was extremely wrong.

Quickly, things became much more serious than I had ever anticipated. Grocery store aisles were bare, lines were long and items were being rationed. The University of Texas at Austin soon followed in the footsteps of many other universities around the nation and extended our spring break, preparing to move online for the remainder of the semester.

Only a few days before things got bad, I hopped from airport to airport to go visit my aunt up north. She was in the final stages of her fight with pancreatic cancer and my family advised me to go up and spend time with her before it was too late. When I was traveling, the airports seemed emptier than normal. People were concerned and on edge. When I finally made it back to Austin, I received backlash for even traveling during the pandemic, even though in my eyes it was a necessary trip.

After being home for only 36 hours, I got the phone call from my dad to share that my aunt had passed away. I needed to make arrangements with school and work to fly back up north at the end of the week. While my professors were extremely understanding and kind, it was circumstances that I could have never foreseen that caused issues. Twenty-three hours before I was supposed to board a flight to the funeral, it was released that UT’s President, Greg Fenves’s wife, who worked for the University, tested positive for COVID-19 and he would be tested too. This not only put me but the whole UT community at risk.

This not only caused me to panic and worry if I was exposed to COVID-19 but it made me worry about everyone around me, a University of over 50,000 students. After a long discussion with my parents and their concern of my exposure, they were the one who made the final decision; I wasn’t allowed to go up north for the funeral.

Logistically it made sense. I needed to see if I was in contact with anyone who had it and see if Fenves tested positive. Furthermore, the funeral would be full of people over the age of 60 in addition to my grandparents who were nearly 90. It was a hotspot for people at risk and even if my chance of having COVID-19 was slim, I couldn't risk it.

I was distraught and extremely upset. Now only was I grieving the loss of my aunt and now not being able to pay respects at her funeral, but now I was alone and isolated in my apartment. My mental health took a hit during the COVID-19 outbreak and it only got worse as it went on. I thrive on being social and going out and talking to people, but now I’m stuck by myself for most of the day.

Not only have I not been able to be with family recently, but now that classes have moved online I’m not able to see most of my friends and classmates until next semester. The COVID-19 pandemic hit much closer to home than I thought it ever would and now it’s just a waiting game.

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