Did you change your spring break plans because of the virus? From what to what?
My spring break plans were to spend time at a house my family rented in Destin, FL. I’d also be working on campus for the first part of that week, while utilizing the HLS (on-campus gym). I was looking forward to that, because it would have been empty and all the machines would be available. Unfortunately, the HLS closed that week and my family cancelled the beach house.
How did you feel when you were informed the remainder of the semester would be held online?
I was pretty devastated. I spent four years here and I didn’t get to say goodbye to my professors or friends. Losing commencement hurt quite a bit, too.
Where will you be living while courses are held online? Is this a change from usual?
I will be living at a house off-campus. It’s not too much of a change from usual, because I still come to campus for work. The commute is a lot shorter in the mornings, since there are not many people on the road.
What has been your experience with moving classes online? What’s good? What’s not so good?
My experience with online classes has been pretty good. Of the courses I’m taking this semester, half of them were already online. The transition was relatively easy. All of my professors communicated with me within hours of the announcement that we were shifting online, and they have continued to do so. They have also been very understanding of all of our situations. I missed a quiz that counted for 14% of my grade because it fell on the same day that commencement was cancelled. My professor reached out and told the entire class, even though there were only a few seniors, that he wouldn’t count that quiz grade unless we wanted to take it. If we did take it, he wouldn’t take off late points. Another one of my professors has modified all of the assignments that required us to use the library archives that exist in the basement of John C. Pace, since we no longer can access the building.
How has the virus (and the precautions taken to prevent it spreading) impacted your daily life?
There’s definitely a very odd feeling when I venture to the grocery store. I’m not sure how to explain it. Nobody really talks or looks at each other. There’s an air of fear of being close to each other. At UWF, since I still work on campus, it’s very empty. Parking is a dream. However, it makes me wish I’d cherished the times when campus was full of students walking to class or having lunch in the Commons.
Do you know anyone who has gotten COVID-19?
Yes.
Are you staying in? What are you doing to pass the time?
I only leave my house to buy groceries or go to work. On weekends and evenings, when I don’t have work, I am staying in. I FaceTime or Skype with friends and we have long chats. Sometimes we will get a group together and have a virtual “Happy Hour”, where we have cocktails or wine and catch up. I complete puzzles. I recently bought a nickel board (larger than a penny board, but smaller than a long board) and am teaching myself how to ride it. My neighbors came to my rescue recently when I fell in front of their driveway—they had to toss me some bandaids from a distance.
Are you going out? Where do you go and what is it like?
Like I said, I only go out to buy groceries. I go to the Publix in Perdido, near Innerarity Point. It’s about fifteen minutes from my house. There is another Publix on Mobile Highway in Ferry Pass, which is five minutes from my house, but I like the drive. Even though it’s bad for the environment and a waste of gas, it’s a good way for me to clear my head. I never really get to enjoy the outdoors since the beach is now closed, and I don’t have a large yard or a pool to enjoy the sunshine. Driving around with the windows down is therapeutic for me. The Publix, which is almost always crowded when I get off work, is relatively empty now. The most I’ve seen it crowded since the lockdown is maybe 30 people in the store, including employees. Another place I go “out” is the UWF trails. It’s nice to go for a jog or a walk and look for alligators or turtles.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about what you’re feeling or experiencing right now?
I’d like the archives to reflect that humanity is different. Strangers don’t really smile at each other when you cross paths with them. In the south, that’s a really common thing—I learned that when I traveled to Europe. People don’t just smile at each other there, it’s so odd. Growing up in the south, you’re almost considered rude if you happen to make eye contact with a stranger and don’t smile. That doesn’t happen now, in the pandemic. People don’t help each other out, because we’re scared to make contact. I went to shake someone’s hand the other day, and they recoiled from me. I had forgotten that it was “taboo” now. I went to help a woman get a box from a shelf at the grocery store and then drew my arm back quickly when I remembered that she might be afraid I’d pass germs to her. I awkwardly apologized and kept it moving. I can’t stand that we have to be so separate now, in every single way.
However, I think this teaches us a great lesson. Since we cannot be together, it will let us cherish each other so much more when we can come back. When they open, I’ll eat at my favorite restaurants every night. I’ll go to the bars with my friends. I’ll SPRINT down the sand and dive into the ocean when they open back up. My family used to say I had gills growing up, they couldn’t get me out of the water as a kid. I cannot wait for the feeling of being in the water again. I grew up here, the beach is my sanctuary.
I will never complain about waiting in line at the bank or being at an event that’s crowded, because I’ll look back on the months that I couldn’t get within six feet of my own parents. I actually feel a tightening in my chest when I think of those “firsts” again, like going to a sporting event or sitting down in a restaurant. I’ll probably be very emotional when I have those again.
This time in my life will be defined by what I will gain, and not what I lost.