After going almost an entire semester successfully mitigating the spread of Covid-19 on campus, WashU saw its first major spike towards the end of November. Despite doing the best I could to avoid getting sick this semester, I was unfortunately contact-traced by a friend who tested positive and sent into quarantine the week of Thanksgiving. Fortunately for me, I was able to quarantine off-campus with two other girls who were also contact traced, allowing me to avoid complete isolation. But despite this, living independently, over a holiday, under the weight of the fear of being sick, I learned a lot about myself over the course of the two-week quarantine.
First, I realized how difficult it can be to stay motivated when you aren’t surrounded by other students. WashU encourages a collaborative environment, and the students on campus are incredibly driven and hard-working. Before quarantine, my friends and peers encouraged me to get my work done, and I completed much of it in the presence of others in places like BD and Parkside. Although the girls I was staying with also had work to complete, it was much harder to motivate one another in such a secluded environment.
I also saw that quarantine had an impact on my mental health. I was in bed for hours at a time during the day and found myself feeling lonely and anxious – especially when I was waiting for my results. The pressure I felt from school and my desire to go home substantially increased, and I had difficulty sleeping and eating. This helped me put into perspective how difficult complete isolation would be, and how important it is for the school to recognize the stress that the pandemic and the quarantine process puts on its students.
Finally, I realized how difficult it is to live quasi-independently. Living alone is something I’ve dreamt of for a while, but it is a much more intense task than I anticipated. Meal-planning and cleaning are complicated and hard to keep up with, and you lose the sense of security you have on campus.
All in all, quarantine taught me a lot about my ability to function independently and exposed me to areas of personal growth I’ll need to work on in order to have a more successful future.