If you are reading this, you are probably thinking about studying abroad (and you absolutely should!). Hopefully, the COVID situation has changed drastically and you do not need to quarantine at your destination, but in case it has not, here is what my quarantine was like in Cork, Ireland and some tips to get through yours.
Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. I started planning my study abroad for the fall of 2020 in February of 2020 – before COVID changed everything. The fall semester abroad ultimately fell through, but if I pushed my co-op, I could go in the spring of 2021. Knowing that this was my last opportunity to study abroad, I was determined to go. I spent the summer and fall tracking the COVID situation and working with my Global Experience advisor to get classes approved, find housing, etc. Things in Ireland at the time were – dare I say – “semi-normal”? However, when school started in the fall, there was a little spike, which caused Ireland to go into Lockdown for around a month. The Lockdown worked wonders and they got the numbers under control, just in time to have Christmas. I was excited at this point – I was going to Ireland in only a few short weeks! But opening for Christmas caused a drastic spike, of course just two weeks before I was to arrive. They went into Level 5 Lockdown, which means that only food stores are open. There is no non-essential shopping, the campus is closed (except for a few spots you can reserve in the library), there is no outdoor dining, and you cannot travel greater than 5 km from your house. At the time, this was not a cause for concern for me – the last Lockdown was short and effective and the current Lockdown was supposed to end on January 31, 2021 – a week after my quarantine was finished. So, I wasn’t really bothered by the Lockdown because it would be mostly during my quarantine period.
I wasn’t concerned about having to quarantine because, when my roommate got COVID back in May, my roommates and I quarantined for 2 weeks, so I already knew what to expect. Quarantining in a different country turned out to be a much different story. When I arrived that first day, there was no hot water and my shower flooded after 1 minute due to a clogged drain, so I couldn’t shower for the first two days. Because only food shopping centers were open, I could not find a blanket. That night, the temperature in my room was 34 degrees F so I slept in my winter jacket, hat, and whipped out some hand-warmers. Now, I am a very easy-going person and do not complain, but when you have just spent hours traveling to a different country, don’t know anyone and have no one to ask questions to, everything is shut down due to COVID, and you get thrown in a room for two weeks, those little comforts make a big difference. That being said, those little comforts do make a difference – find yourself a warm blanket, or a cute decoration for your room!
The best thing to happen to me during quarantine was the arrival of my French roommate, Tess. You may not be able to quarantine with other students, but if you do, take advantage of it. The most important thing is to stay connected to others – whether that be with your roommates or with your family or friends on FaceTime. I realized that the reason why my first quarantine was so easy was because I was stuck with my best friends. Additionally, the first few days of my quarantine in Ireland were incredibly difficult, not because of the shower or not having a blanket, but because of how isolated I felt. During my first week, there were rumors that the Level 5 Lockdown would be extended (and it has been extended until March 5, but there are talks that restaurants and hospitality won’t open until the summer – so after I leave!). That can be incredibly demoralizing to hear, especially when it was already difficult to meet people to begin with. But Tess and I have found a way to make our own fun. Even though everything is closed, we explore the city (Irish quarantine allows you to go outside and exercise). We play a game where we don’t use a map and choose random directions to go and see what we find. We were walking between 5 and 8 miles a day, and still continue to go on our walks now that our quarantine is over. We cook dinners together (trying both French and American cuisine) watch movies, and go to the store (we joke that we have been to every supermarket in our 5 km – I think we have).
I won’t lie and say the quarantine was easy. I brushed it off as being the easiest part (I mean, what’s so hard about staying in your room and watching Netflix all day?), but as I found, being alone all day causes you to get in your head and bring in negative thoughts. My quarantine has been over for a week now and things have improved about ten fold here. I have been able to connect with other study abroad students who have completed their quarantine and we go on walks or go to the store. Classes have allowed me to virtually meet more students, but hopefully when the Lockdown eases, we can meet in person. Do not let this deter you from studying abroad, but rather let this be a lesson on how quarantine may be a difficult two weeks, but it is possible to make the most of it and then you can have a fantastic 5 months.
