I was just like every other person who decided to come to campus this fall. Yeah, I could get coronavirus, but would that really happen to me? Probably not. Like others, I took precautions, but also felt like I was immune. However, after living on campus in one of the biggest residence halls for one week, I tested positive. Testing positive for COVID-19 would clearly release a whirlwind of emotions for anyone- fear, anxiety and sadness over the unknown just to name a few. After packing my bags and arriving at my new home for the next ten days, I was nervous. Here is how it went…
I knew I would probably be in isolation longer than I had lived in my regular dorm. Would I have a roommate? How long would I be here? How would I get food or do laundry? Am I even allowed to leave my room? All these questions flooded my mind as I began walking towards where I would be living for the next week or two.
I soon learned I would have my own room for the majority of my time there, however I did receive a roommate for my last two days there. Living in a lower quality dorm than what I’m used to definitely made me feel more grateful for my original dorm. I know, the privilege. But still, while I felt sick, I wanted to be as comfortable as possible.
A very prevalent thing when it comes to quarantine is mental health. A mental health counselor called me a few times while I was in quarantine (as required), and it was nice to have someone checking in on me. To keep myself sane, I mainly kept myself occupied with homework; I tried to get ahead, and put everything I had into all of my assignments. Something else that helped me through isolation was facetiming my friends and family. This occupied my time, as well as made me feel like I wasn’t alone. Also, since I was put in an isolation dorm with all other people that tested positive, I was still able to talk to other people in the hallway, outside, etc. This was also nice because I was able to have some real-life human interaction. It was oddly comforting to know other people from the dorms had also tested positive.
In isolation, it’s clear that there’s no way for us to go out and get food for ourselves. So, the solution was to order our food through an online form by 1pm each day- this way, the university could bring us some semi-decent selections. The food was very mediocre, but not quite the caliber of NYU quarantine meals. I was grateful though, because at least we got to pick our food. They delivered our food to a tent outside the isolation dorms for us to go and get. Luckily, we were allowed to order food from outside places as long as they delivered it to outside our dorms. This definitely came in clutch; I loved doordashing coffee and Chick-Fil-A to help me cope with isolation housing living. Now, since I am out of isolation housing and back in my original dorm, I am grateful to be able to get whatever food I want whenever I want.
