Edited by Tanmaya Ramprasad
This year was like no other. When I started my first year, I never would have imagined that a global pandemic would cut my year short. In March, we were told that schools were shutting down for two weeks; however, two weeks turned into months. Like most people, I spent my days in quarantine by baking, drawing, or watching an unhealthy amount of movies. As course selections came around, we had the option of choosing between in-person and online lectures. After spending many months stuck at home, I was desperate to have the chance to leave, even if it was once a week. So, I opted for the in-person option for only one of my classes, where I had to commute twice a week to Downtown Toronto. I was ecstatic and was looking forward to the new school year.
The first day of classes quickly approached and I waited in anticipation to be on campus again. On Tuesday, I hopped onto a nearly empty Go Train and commuted Downtown. Of course, I was afraid of the potential dangers of going back to campus in the midst of a worldwide pandemic; however, at Innis College, the location of my class, we were required to wear face masks and sanitize our hands upon entering the building. The classroom, Innis Town Hall, had sanitation wipes located outside the north doors and we had to use those wipes to sanitize our chairs. We were also required to sit in the same spot for the rest of the year, so that we may limit our interaction with other parts of the room. Moreover, there are only 28 students in the class, so that proper physical distancing can be assured. However, there were less than 28 students in the room because some decided not to show up and the in-person option for this class was not full.
In my opinion, I think the measures put into place, at least at Innis College which is the only campus building I have been to, are adequate enough to ensure our safety. Proper safety is assured when everyone follows the rules and physically distance, and it is safe to say that all of my peers in this class have listened and followed the rules in order to ensure the safety of others. However, going back to campus and attending lectures in-person was quite surreal because I was taken aback by seeing so few people who were sitting far apart in the lecture hall when I was so used to being crammed into Convocation Hall with 1000 other students. Needless to say, 2020 was like no other year. There were ups and downs as well as surprises every month; however, in the midst of all this chaos, going back to campus was the one thing that made life feel “normal” again.