Navigating COVID-19
by Melissa Vargas
Current Location: Dallas, TX. Previous LIU Global Location: Taiwan, as part of the China Center program.
News about the emergence of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China began in late December. At this point, the virus had barely begun to spread throughout China. I boarded a flight to Taipei, Taiwan on January 19th to start another semester and the coronavirus was hardly a thought on my mind. Life was business as usual and there were very few discernable signs that anything would change from normal. The gravity of the virus began to sink in when the US State Department issued a Level 3 Travel Advisory Warning for China and we learned that the semester’s programming was canceled. Though students were given the option to continue the semester at the LIU Global Australia center, I made the decision to return to the US. I flew home on February 3rd and truthfully did not expect to encounter the virus anymore. My impression at the time was that COVID-19 would only really affect China and other surrounding Asian countries. Fast forward a few months later, I couldn’t have been further from wrong.
It’s no secret that the United States government’s response to COVID-19 has been painfully ineffective and outright irresponsible. Trump’s leadership throughout the global pandemic might best be characterized as uninformed and dismissive of reality. From initially downplaying the severity of the virus when preventative measures ought to have been taken, to referring to COVID-19 as the ‘Chinese virus’, to setting arbitrary dates for when the country will reopen, Trump has shown that he is wildly unknowledgeable about how to handle a national crisis. The dire lack of testing and hospital equipment shortages plaguing the US right now could have been avoided or perhaps lessened if government leadership had taken things seriously from the start and not so ignorantly acted as if the US would somehow be immune to the virus and its impact.
Having returned home in early February, taking online classes and spending time at home have been part of my regular routine for quite some time now. In a way, this routine has helped me ease slightly more easily into quarantine measures enacted last month. Despite having eased into a routine, I undoubtedly still find it challenging to take LIU Global courses online. The hardest part of taking classes online is… well, taking classes online. Much of the Global curriculum is inextricably linked to experiential learning, a component that unfortunately is no longer feasible during this time of the pandemic. I’ve grown very accustomed to having a balance between theory and practice over the last three years so learning through a screen now feels strange and incredibly less fulfilling. There are also often logistical difficulties that come along with taking classes online. For instance, both of my current professors live in China and Taiwan so scheduling across a thirteen-hour time difference often results in inconvenient late night and early morning meetings.
Though the last few months and overall quarantine have been challenging, there have in fact been a few silver linings for me. For one, I’ve come to appreciate many of the interactive field experiences I’ve had so far with Global more than ever before. Life has flown by since I first began my journey with Global and so much has changed. Each unique year has brought new countries, people, and knowledge. Recently marks the first time in a long time that life has forced me to slow down, to reflect, to appreciate. Secondly, I’ve been able to pursue a couple of different things that I normally don’t have the time to do when living and studying abroad. I’ve started taking online language courses and teaching English online. I’ve also been able to read more books for leisure and spend more time with family.
As we near the end of April, when the stay at home orders of many states are set to expire, I feel anxious about how state governments will assess current conditions and act moving forward. I’m afraid of premature state reopening and rolling back of social distancing policies. I can only hope that both national and state-level government officials exercise caution and prioritize health concerns over economic motives or interests. The hardest part about all of this is accepting that I have no control over government action and can only control my own actions at this time. I have to remind myself to take things day by day because if I think too much about the future it makes me feel powerless and overwhelmed. For now, it’s encouraging to think about how much more meaningful the things that I took for granted will be once things return to normal again. Traveling will be so much richer, spontaneously going to a café to study will be a treat, and being able to hug friends and loved ones without fear will be so much more meaningful.
