University education at the time of coronavirus

The first weeks were quite chaotic, no one knew how to appropriately asses the situation, or to give adequate predictions about the pandemic. What was certain, however, was that this semester would be partially online, followed by a phase of physical classes back in Shanghai. Online classes began on February 17th. My Chinese classmates stayed in their homes. The others could transfer to another campus for the spring semester; American students used this chance to stay in New York. I, on the other hand, wanted to continue studying Chinese in Shanghai. I also got into great classes like Poverty and Inequality around the World or Capitalism, Socialism, Communism: Theory and Practice. However, more and more NYU campuses closed as weeks went by, and the idea of staying home for the entire semester got through my head.

In a way, my quarantine started on February 17th, the same day my online classes took off. Average days look like this: waking up, connecting to online classes, then working on my essays and all over again. My back hates me for sitting in front of my computer the entire day, and our home internet connection also sometimes decides to prevent me from having uninterrupted classes. But there are also brighter sides to all of this. Since most of the students left for other campuses, there remained only a few students in my classes; actually, I’m the only one in my Chinese! So basically, all my classes are like office hours. The best experience in recent days was when an external company came to my room in Shanghai to pack my stuff until I return. Just imagine it, you are on a call with a couple of guys trying to explain which things to take and which to leave, while the internet is occasionally dropping. Also, since their English was not the best, I had to sometimes speak in Chinese…

Our world got paused for a bit (at least to those who do not need to maintain basic social needs). COVID-19 also changed our lives, the Czech students studying abroad. By coming home, we cannot not only go to our favorite library or café to study but also, we cannot see many of our friends who are all around the world. Maybe the wheels of history stopped now, but they will surely start moving again. I believe that we will be able to go outside again, to enjoy the beautiful spring that I haven’t had a chance to see for the past years. Soon we will be with our friends again and living our lives without the constant necessity to wear a face mask…