Introduction:
Due to this wild Covid-19 pandemic, many students have been forced into quarantine. I unfortunately have fallen victim to Covid, and I was told to quarantine for ten days after first showing symptoms. It started off as just a headache and feeling dizzy, but it rapidly evolved into much more. I soon started to run a fever, get the chills, have body aches, couch uncontrollably, suffer from a sore throat, and had problems even falling asleep. It was something different every day I woke up. One day it would be a sore throat, and the next it would be a raging headache. My symptoms have since diminished, but I now am unable to taste or smell anything. With my quarantine coming to an end, I have been very busy with catching up on homework.
Keeping up:
In the beginning of my quarantine, my symptoms were very severe and I was physically unable to stay awake for long periods of time. I had bad headaches and looking at my laptop for even a few minutes was a challenge in itself. I made contact with all of my professors, and they were all very kind and willing to allow me extra time to catch up on my homework when I was feeling up to it. I missed two exams and a countless number of assignments. Each of my professors emailed me with a list of the things I missed and offered their assistance to help me if needed. I didn’t do any homework for an entire week, and this caused me an immense amount of stress along with still being sick. Luckily, I was feeling well enough to start getting assignments done each day and slowly starting to catch up. One of my biggest concerns however was missing out on my research stream. Thankfully, my two lab partners Grace and Josh stayed healthy and got into the lab to carry the load. They, along with the lab mentors and Dr. Land, kept me up to date with protocols and how everything was going. About seven days into quarantine, I can finally say I have actually caught up with all my homework, and even started to work ahead.
Reflection:
This time being away definitely is not easy. I am missing three different science labs, and that can be very difficult to come back from. Not being in lab is not only difficult academically, but it is also unfortunate not being able to see my classmates and professors. After missing half of last semester due to Covid, I was very eager to be back in the classroom. I really cannot thank my professors and classmates enough for helping me through and checking in on me. Without the assistance of them, I would be way behind and even more stressed out. I am hoping I can stay healthy for the remainder of the semester and to finally get back into the lab and get back to work.
