An Unexpected Return

Like countless others, I’ve spent the past week at home. A week before, I, like countless others, watched Covid-19 begin to spread around me. For me, however, getting sent home was a bit more of a journey, and watching the pandemic unfold was from a bit more of a front-row seat. I’d been studying in Edinburgh for the past two months and was supposed to continue there until late May.

Studying abroad is a unique experience. There are few opportunities in life to live temporarily in virtually any country of your choice without putting future plans on hold or undergoing any severe financial strain. I go to UMass Amherst, and as a large state school, they offer programs around the globe. Some programs are more targeted to specific majors or internship opportunities, while some offer a more general curriculum available to all students interested in studying there. All signs pointed to taking advantage of this opportunity, so I began searching for where I wanted to go. I settled on Scotland fairly late. I didn’t choose it for one specific reason, Edinburgh just called out to me.

I knew I’d made the right choice as I stepped off the plane and was completely surrounded by rolling green hills. The taxi driver from the airport apologized for it being 5 degrees (that’s 41 Fahrenheit) and a little windy. Coming from a Boston winter, this couldn’t have been less of a problem. The people of Edinburgh were welcoming and proud of their beautiful city. I fell in love with it quickly. From the town center, the castle sits on a cliffside just up a rich green hill. Random apartment buildings look like cathedrals. If you stumble outside the main parts of the city, you might find yourself in a village that looks like a fairy tale or at the top of a small mountain overlooking the city.

For two months I spent my days in a city I was in love with, surrounded by people I loved. I made incredible friends, who were all in Edinburgh from different schools and programs, and we spent our time exploring this city where something beautiful you’d never seen before sat behind every corner. The next two months were among the best of my life, and not just because being there meant easy weekend trips around Europe, although that certainly didn’t hurt. Although I had just met them, my friends and I got so close so quickly. We did everything together, taking in all we could from this beautiful city.

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We watched together as the number of cases in Italy skyrocketed. Still, it felt distant. Students from our schools studying in Italy began to be sent home. For the first time, we realized getting sent home early was a possibility. Still, it was just a possibility, and we certainly didn’t plan on having the same fate. Soon, Spain and France became hot spots for the virus. Even still, we remained optimistic. Sure, travel plans might have to be changed around a bit for the foreseeable future, and maybe losing a few weeks at the end was looking very possible. But there were very few cases in the U.K., and it’s not like they could shut the whole world down, right?

Slowly but surely the world did in fact start shutting down around us. Within days, countries went from having as many cases as you could count on your hands to being completely ravaged by Covid-19. Soon, the United States announced its travel ban against all Schengen nations, as they had all been elevated to a level 3 status of emergency. Programs in seemingly every country but ours were being pulled. Many schools were choosing to universally end all international programs. Until March 11, none of us had received any indication that leaving was a possibility. Many of us tried to rationalize remaining in Edinburgh. There were far fewer cases there than around Boston, and going to an airport, in general, seemed risky at the moment. We had all even been receiving emails from our schools and programs informing us that there was no need to worry about our programs being canceled. At 10 pm one night, my friends received a similar email from their school, easing all of our nerves at a this-could-be-a-goodbye party. As you might expect, we were shocked when they found out roughly seven hours later that they were being sent home, and many would have to leave by the very next day.

My program had not yet been canceled as all my friends began to leave. While their school required them to come home, mine had not yet. What we began to realize, however, was that we were by no means safer in the U.K. There weren’t fewer cases because it was somehow safe from this global pandemic. It was simply a few days behind. As my friends were leaving, we watched the number of cases there multiply daily. When my school offered me the opportunity to leave, it became an obvious choice for me. As devastating as the virus is itself, its ramifications on everyday life are arguably even greater. While the travel ban placed on Europe didn’t apply to U.S. citizens, this clause of safety felt like a temporary opportunity to bring all abroad citizens back home. And besides, airlines were keen to cancel these remaining flights. I booked my ticket for three days later, waiting for what I assumed would be the inevitable letter informing me my program was canceled.

The next few days crawled by. They were filled with sad goodbyes and uncertainty. Two days later only a few of us remained, and still, no letter had come. While I intended to return home regardless, it was frustrating to receive constant optimistic messages informing us our program was continuing and discussing upcoming trips when it was so apparent that the only direction things were heading was worse. The travel ban was expected to come into place for the U.K. on the night of Monday the 16th, with many airlines intending to cancel flights in the following days, and I had booked mine for that day in the afternoon. Finally, on Sunday night, our program was canceled, and we received the email requiring us to return home.

We’re currently experiencing one of the strangest events in world history. Our lives are dictated by measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and a truly minuscule number of the population can say they are unaffected by its presence. It’s difficult to judge the success of these measures, as there is no precedent for what is affecting the world right now. One thing that becomes clearer and clearer every day is that at times like this, things are going to get worse before they get better. While many schools and study abroad programs decided to cancel their programs early, many international students were left flailing to escape during this pandemic. For people in my program, it was difficult to receive constant, optimistic emails about our program continuing and plans for upcoming trips around Scotland which would be continuing as normal, until the day before many flights back to the U.S. would be canceled. For a friend studying in Spain, it was not being sent home until the day public transport to the airport became limited. For organizations sending students around the world, this situation has been a nightmare, and many have undoubtedly had to make difficult decisions. Hopefully, they have taken something from it to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students in the future.

As we wait to see what effects result from this experience, people around the world are adapting to this ever-changing situation. While losing two months in my favorite city in the world was not how I pictured this semester going, I am grateful to be home safe with my family. I’ve gotten to spend time with my sister, and we’re making the best of everything we can. From the videos of people singing together from their balconies in Italy to the families taking the time at home to be together and appreciative of everything they have, light has been shining through the darkness of this whole experience. I’m thankful for the people around me, and for seeing people doing kind things others. Safe wishes to all.

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