This is not how I imagined university to be. I imagined decorating my dorm, having a blast at convocation, meeting my classmates in person, and experiencing fall at Mt. Holyoke. But the pandemic prevents that. So here is what the start to my college life looks like.
Living in India, we are on a lockdown that limits our ability to go outside. Over the last four months, my room has become the venue of my senior prom, graduation, my yoga class, and now most recently, it has become the place where I attend university from.
Instead of traveling to the US, I now take daily trips from my room to the living room, occasionally making some pit-stops along the way to grab some snacks from the kitchen.
The time difference between the East Coast of the US and India is nine and a half hours. This means that when my family is asleep, I am awake and vice versa. It has been a strange experience to have managed to avoid contact with my family (who are all in the same house) for extended periods of time. But hey, I get the TV all to myself now! :)
I sometimes look out my window at the gorgeous sunsets we have been experiencing lately and wonder what the sky over South Hadley looks like. Is it pink too? Recently, however, I am looking out at the thunderstorms, hoping they’ll pass soon so that my wifi starts working again.
Now, three weeks in, I have grown to like my routine when it comes to attending online university. I burn a nice scented candle and curl up in my blanket. Of course it has been pj’s all day too! My mother has been reminding me that they don’t allow flammables in dorms or blankets in lecture halls, and they certainly don’t allow students to wear pj’s to class.
But until then, I’ll be here…
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