Deborah is a British girl studying at a university in Czech Republic... here she shares her experience of being in lockdown in another country...
Deborah says:
When my university announced that they were closing due to the virus, we were all under the impression that it would only be for a couple of weeks and would just apply to universities. We were relieved that we had some extra time to ourselves to focus on our weaker subjects and half of my class even decided to travel back home for a while. However, two days after our university closed, an announcement was made that the whole of Czech Republic was entering a strict quarantine, where only pharmacies and supermarkets would be open, masks had to be worn outside of dorms and houses and worst of all, borders would be closed to foreigners. Even locals were banned from leaving until further notice.
My university sent out an email the day before the lockdown saying anyone who had travelled home should return that day, as there was no indication as to when foreigners would be able to return, but due to lack of flights most were unable to and ended up being locked out of the country. Our university continued to update us in the next few weeks and gradually the younger people on my course travelled home to be with their families during the crisis. Me and four other members of my class decided to stay, as we didn’t want to be locked out when the university decided to resume.
During the lockdown, I’ve been in a cycle of studying and keeping myself entertained. My university still sends me work and is opting to change our exams to online exams so we are working as we would have if the lockdown wasn’t going on. Adapting to a new schedule where we don’t have to wake up at a certain time had been difficult. The days seems to merge together and sometimes we end up forgetting about the due dates of tasks as every day seems the same. We only leave the house to buy food and when we do we always wear masks and gloves from the moment we leave the building to when we return. While it’s hard being away from home, I FaceTime my family every day and I also have friends here that stayed, and we are allowed to come to each other’s rooms to keep company.
While the circumstances are hard, if we all stick together and help each other out, we will get through this.
Cathy says:
Thank you Deborah for a fascinating account of what it's like to be separated from family and in lockdown in another country. Stay safe and well, and good luck with the completion of your studies! How are YOU coping with the lockdown so far? COMMENT BELOW to have your say...
When my university announced that they were closing due to the virus, we were all under the impression that it would only be for a couple of weeks and would just apply to universities. We were relieved that we had some extra time to ourselves to focus on our weaker subjects and half of my class even decided to travel back home for a while. However, two days after our university closed, an announcement was made that the whole of Czech Republic was entering a strict quarantine, where only pharmacies and supermarkets would be open, masks had to be worn outside of dorms and houses and worst of all, borders would be closed to foreigners. Even locals were banned from leaving until further notice.
My university sent out an email the day before the lockdown saying anyone who had travelled home should return that day, as there was no indication as to when foreigners would be able to return, but due to lack of flights most were unable to and ended up being locked out of the country. Our university continued to update us in the next few weeks and gradually the younger people on my course travelled home to be with their families during the crisis. Me and four other members of my class decided to stay, as we didn’t want to be locked out when the university decided to resume.
During the lockdown, I’ve been in a cycle of studying and keeping myself entertained. My university still sends me work and is opting to change our exams to online exams so we are working as we would have if the lockdown wasn’t going on. Adapting to a new schedule where we don’t have to wake up at a certain time had been difficult. The days seems to merge together and sometimes we end up forgetting about the due dates of tasks as every day seems the same. We only leave the house to buy food and when we do we always wear masks and gloves from the moment we leave the building to when we return. While it’s hard being away from home, I FaceTime my family every day and I also have friends here that stayed, and we are allowed to come to each other’s rooms to keep company.
While the circumstances are hard, if we all stick together and help each other out, we will get through this.
Cathy says:
Thank you Deborah for a fascinating account of what it's like to be separated from family and in lockdown in another country. Stay safe and well, and good luck with the completion of your studies! How are YOU coping with the lockdown so far? COMMENT BELOW to have your say...
Wow! It must be so hard being so far from home, good luck with your schooling!
ReplyDelete