Text Search:
Format:
Language:
Text Only
How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.

Having had the privilege to work remotely teaching first year college students during the pandemic, I had no reason to return to campus. Until last week. My boss finally called for an in-person meeting.The goal was to gear up for the fall semester. Although I was thrilled to see colleagues beyond a Zoom screen, it was a bit strange. But not as strange as entering my campus office. It had been 16 months. The calendar was turned to March, 2020. My memorabilia -- photos from my daughter's wedding, another of my husband and me on a fishing boat, a postcard from the Adirondacks -- were tacked to the bulletin board, untouched. So were the energy bars, packets of tea & a bottle of Advil I stored in a small basket. Untouched. A perfect time capsule. I am certain this is a scene repeated all over the world. People returning to abandoned work places, like explorers discovering ancient Pompeii. The eerie feeling. The disbelief, as in, what just happened here? I bundled up that blustery day in March and headed home with the expectation of a 2-week hiatus. Who knew? How could we ever have known then what awaited us? If we were lucky enough to live through it.

July 17, 2021

Direct Link