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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