Coronavirus While Abroad

It seems like a lifetime ago since I was riding husky sleighs in Northern Finland, admiring majestic cathedrals in St. Petersburg, and sunbathing at a thermal bath in Budapest. Since then, life has drastically changed. A month ago from today, I came back home to the US. The culprit? Coronavirus.

Being in Finland, where there are still only about 3000 confirmed cases, the impact of coronavirus didn’t hit me for a while. Below is a brief timeline in which the magnitude of the virus progressively began to dawn on me.

• February 27th: Fulbright Finland and LUT first update and advise us about the situation (several to follow).
• March 2nd-8th: I enjoy a lovely week in Northern Finland.
• March 11th: WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic.
• March 12th: Fulbright Forum (annual grantee presentations) is cancelled.
• March 13th: Classes are to be conducted remotely as of March 16th; upcoming events are cancelled.

On Friday, March 13th I received an email from Fulbright Finland that the US State Department issued a Global Level 3 Health Advisory. This meant all Fulbright exchanges were effectively paused and we were strongly encouraged to return home. We were informed that at Level 4, it would become mandatory and that Fulbright may not be able to assist us if we decide to leave later. While concerned, I was set on staying in Finland. After all, doesn’t one contract and spread viruses by traveling? (On Saturday O’Hare was a disaster.) And anyway, my situation felt different since I was only in the first year of my two-year master’s degree. After chatting with other grantees, I thought I had made up my mind about staying. Then I made a pros and cons list, noting the varying factors contributing to my decision. My motivations for staying were my girlfriend, friends, and studies. But the final bullet point stuck with me: What if something happens to a family member and I can’t get back? Just because I’m young and healthy doesn’t mean everyone in my family is. The video chat with my parents finalized my decision. I needed to be with my family during this uncertain and quickly evolving time.

So around 7pm on Sunday, I booked a flight home at 11:20am on Monday. Never in my life did I think I would book an international flight less than 24 hours before departure. Luckily I already had a flight to visit home in May. For a fee of about $100, I was able to change my Scandinavian Airlines flight. Unfortunately I just missed out on the free rebooking that the company offered through the month of April. Still, it was much better than the $600 alternatives that I had researched. Why so soon, you might ask? The flights on Tuesday and Wednesday were booked. Thursday seemed too late and I was worried it would get cancelled. When I stumbled upon the Monday flight, I knew I had to take it. Later that night Scandinavian Airlines released the following statement:

Due to the coronavirus and … national authorities, the demand for air travel is essentially non-existent. SAS has therefore decided to put most of its operations on hold, starting Monday March 16 and until necessary prerequisites for commercial air traffic returns.

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(Not so) bright and early on Monday, March 16th I left for the 6:38 train to Helsinki Airport, which was fairly empty but not quite a ghost town. At 11:20 I flew to Stockholm, a small plane about half full. There I was not as impressed with people’s social distancing skills and had to keep moving away from people who sat down next to me right after I found an isolated spot. After a few hour layover, my next flight was to Copenhagen. The bigger plane was about three-quarters full. (And yes, if you’re familiar with the geography of Northern Europe, you’ll know this flight path doesn’t make sense. The direct Helsinki to Copenhagen flight, which took off as I arrived to the gate in Helsinki, was a few hours too early for me.) One image I can’t get out of my mind was the old couple wearing face masks, bandanas, and chemistry laboratory goggles. I felt for them; they must have been terrified.

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In Copenhagen, I had to go through a special check and wait in a closed off, single-entry gate, as only Americans were allowed to fly back. Finally it was time for the flight. As we flew off, I spotted my first offshore wind farm in the distance, a striking contrast to the massive 3 section – 3 row – 3 seat plane carrying maybe a third of its capacity. The amount of wasted fuel didn’t sit with me well, but I did appreciate my distance from others. Upon sitting down I sanitized the screen, table, and arm rest as well as I could. Despite having (more than) three seats to myself and only sleeping a few hours the night before, I couldn’t sleep for the duration of the 9-hour flight, my usual predicament. Along with the normal customs form, we were given a COVID-19 specific health and travel assessment to fill out. After arriving to Chicago O’Hare, we went through customs, and then we had our temperatures taken and were given information by the surprisingly cheery CDC staff. Fortunately both processes only lasted 5 minutes, a huge relief after the crowds and hours of waiting that happened only on Saturday. Exhausted, I collected my luggage and stayed at the airport hotel for the night.

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Even though I was already sleep deprived, I woke up at 3am the next morning. My last meal was a light breakfast (dinner?) on the plane, so I was pretty hungry. After 6am I called room service to order food but was disappointed to find out that they weren’t serving. In my opinion, room service would have been safer since possibly infected people (me) wouldn’t be spreading the virus in the hotel restaurant / cafe and the delivery could be no contact. Alas, I settled on the room’s coffee and cookies from Finland. A few hours later my parents picked me up and we drove back home to St. Louis, where we would begin our two weeks of quarantine.

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On March 19th the worldwide Fulbright program was officially suspended, the same day as the Level 4 advisory was issued. Fulbright Finland reported that 23 of 34 grantees in Finland returned home. I knew I’d return but some Fulbrighters, whose terms end in a few months, had to pack up everything and leave for good. What a tragic way to end such a wonderful program.

While in quarantine, I went through the emotional roller coaster that so many have experienced these past few months. Waxing and waning anxiety, grieving normalcy, missing loved ones, and balancing online classes, all while recognizing my privilege of having a warm, safe home.

As a fairly affectionate family, it feels weird to have only half/air-hugged my parents a few times in the past month. In the six years since I graduated high school and have been away to college, I have always made a point of seeing as many extended family members and friends as possible when I come home for a visit, so this feels downright wrong. Still, I know how crucial this is. Even though our puppy, Star, is a bit of a menace, it has been nice to be able to hug and cuddle with some living being during this time.

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On March 23rd the City of St. Louis issued a stay-at-home order, meaning when our quarantine ended on April 1st, our only change was being able to go to the grocery store. The following day I went on my first shopping trip for St. Louis Quarantine Support, a group of volunteers delivering groceries and necessities to high-risk individuals. This was my first time leaving the house (and wearing real clothes) in two weeks. Though I really wanted to help in this way (and tried again the next day), I just wasn’t ready, noticing a big spike in anxiety. Maybe at some point I’ll try this out again, but I needed a break. Instead I decided on a less direct route of attempting to positively impact the community. I am making recycled cereal / snack box notebooks for the kids at my old daycare. Hopefully they will bring some light.

Though it’s rough, I have still found joy in these times. Getting back into hobbies like reading, puzzling, and making paper. Reconnecting with my old church community through online services, movie nights, and gaming sessions. Video chatting with my friends, girlfriend, and family, including a Zoom Easter. Playing board games and croquet with my parents. Discovering that the VCR still works- watching nostalgic movies and home videos. And more. Though I will be incredibly glad when the coronavirus has phased out and things return back to “normal,” I am also grateful for this time to slow down a bit and really appreciate life for what it is- a blessing.

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Thanks for reading- stay safe, wash your hands, and keep your distance!