Hello Everyone! I do apologize for the late weekly post! Since writing to y’all last week, lots has happened! First off, I am writing to you from Iowa… Yes, I have returned home! Normally, it would be exciting to be home, but it did not happen for the best reasons. Last Thursday evening, the UK became a level 2 with the CDC, therefore students had the choice to decide whether to stay or go home. My parents has asked me to return home since they were very concerned for my wellbeing. The US government has also recalled all students abroad that is under their scholarships, therefore the choice was already made for me. Three weeks before, I just bought my flight home and was ecstatic about coming home, but it felt extremely wrong to be leaving England. Nottingham has become another home away from home and leaving was hard. The goodbyes were worse… I’ve never been good with farewells. Everything happened super fast. I was packed in a day and Saturday I spent it with my friends from Nottingham, then Sunday was my flight.
So I am home now… but I cannot be around family and friends quite yet. For precautionary reasons, travelers from abroad are required to self-isolate for 14 days. During those days, I will be doing some fun readings with books I recently bought and doing lots of facetimes to catch up with family and friends. I also have course work to complete since my Nottingham classes will be online, therefore I can watch all the lectures. The professors have been doing switching everything to online learning and for some professors, it is all new. As a student, I completely appreciate all their hard work to keep our education going in times like this. It is not ideal to learn online, but it is important that we all continue our education. Lots of students are concerned whether they will be graduating this year and schools have been addressing those concerns.
Coming from England, where health care is free to everyone, it makes me wonder what people with no insurance are doing in the US. People in England do not have to worry about health insurance because it is free to everyone, regardless of income. That is not the case for individuals in the US. Those of us who are fortunate to afford healthcare do not have to stress over whether or not they will afford treatment. This new virus really does demonstrate the fact that health is not individualized… If one person has it, they have the potential to spread it around. Health affects everyone, directly and indirectly. With that being said, there are arguments for both sides. Free vs Paid healthcare is a large debate. Maybe it works for England because it is a small country… Would it work in the US? That is just an issue I have been thinking about.
Before studying abroad, I would have never thought about an issue like the one described above. It is refreshing to look beyond the US and have an idea of what is going on in the rest of the world. I think that is one of the most beneficial thing that came from studying abroad.
I shall keep all of you updated on my self-isolation… Please practice preventative actions for your wellbeing as well as others. As always, hope everyone is healthy. In stressful times like this, it is important to also pay attention to mental health as well!
Nottingham Adventures 