2019冠状病毒病:在危机中寻找光明

我的故事

It was late January; I was waiting in an airport becoming frenzy with excitement to board my plane to begin my semester abroad. I was heading for Ireland, the land full of green hills and cobble stone towns.  这来之不易. 虽然我来自低收入家庭, I was not going to let my socioeconomic status rape me of my chance to submerse myself into the experiences studying abroad had to offer. I worked hard to apply for many scholarships, including the Benjamin A. 吉尔曼. 没有吉尔曼, the likely hood of my spring semester being spent abroad would have been relatively slim. The 吉尔曼 works to broaden the student population that studies and interns abroad by supporting undergraduates who might not otherwise participate due to financial constraints. When I heard about the 吉尔曼 I worked hard during my application and was so thankful to have received the award. After all the hard work of applying to scholarships and wrapping up first semester of junior year, the excitement for Ireland was more real than I could even begin to describe.

Arriving at the Dublin airport was the coolest experience, after eight hours of air travel I was eager to see what has been waiting for me! 我一到爱尔兰就得坐公共汽车，幸运的是, I met with a few others from other parts of America who were also heading to Maynooth University. 我们都安全到达了梅努斯小镇. 哇. 爱尔兰的建筑令人叹为观止. 我深深地爱上了我周围的一切. The University was similar to 曼彻斯特 with professors enthusiastic about connecting with students. 这真的让我感到宾至如归. After about one month during my stay in Ireland I began to really open up and started exploring the great city of Dublin and checking out local shops. 然而, as more days went on the talk of Coronavirus kept growing. 事件 started to get canceled and worry hung over our heads.

3:00 a.m. 3月12日^th 我惊慌地跳下床. My phone blasted with emails and several calls from family members all worried because of the U.S. 由于COVID-19，边境关闭. Waking up to emergency departure requirements from the country I worked hard to be in was one of the biggest disappointments in my life. I had to leave with in the next 5 days and was very fortunate to find an open flight. I spent my last few days going to my favorite places to eat and saying goodbye to everyone. 我走过空荡荡的机场, boarded my flight and just like that I was on my way back to the U.S. 当我降落在U.S. soils because at that point, I knew I was safe and I was going to see everyone I love again.

 危机中的光明

COVID-19 has brought much uncertainty and huge lifestyle changes for everyone globally. 然而, I feel instead of drowning in the negativity we can learn to observe the greatness around us. Especially on the perseverance and strength many organizations have maintained during these troubling times. Both 十大网赌正规网址 and Maynooth University have shown what it means to keep the ball rolling with unexpected and drastic circumstances. I want to highlight a few of the great things both my university at home and my university abroad has done to make us students feel secure and able to finish this semester strong.

交流:
During a crisis like this, it can be easy to want to clock out and give up. But this is far from what I have seen from both 曼彻斯特 and Maynooth University. I have had professors schedule online video chats with me from 曼彻斯特 to make sure I have returned safely and to just check it. My professors at Maynooth have had such a “go with the flow” attitude when it came to any of concerns regarding class work. Let’s not forget about the consistent updates both university Presidents have provided for us students and concerned parents. I am entirely grateful for the staff at both Universities.

校园生活:
让我们谈谈校园生活. I know what you may be thinking, “Um… There is no campus life?“实际上, both 曼彻斯特 and Maynooth have done an excellent job at providing alternative online activities for students to escape the daily stress of COVID-19. 在曼彻斯特, the department of student involvement has been putting on fun online events and even clubs like Kenapocomoco still hold their regular meetings through Zoom. Similar things are happening through Maynooth University. Maynooth’s International Office provided “tea and chat” events when I was on campus in Ireland and they have now moved their events into an online chat. Its really amazing to know that staff are still working hard for all of us when they too must be feeling the stress of COVID-19.  

最后:
At the end of the day, these are the things we need to look for and focus on. Even someone like me who has had an amazing opportunity taken from me can see the light and positivity. I know we aren’t all in the same circumstances but let’s challenge our human capabilities and find the strength from the small amounts of greatness surrounding us. 当生活变得艰难，你崩溃的时候，原谅自己. Encourage yourself to jump back up and focus on the light!