My spring semester of my first year in college was going on really well. I was a part of clubs and sorority, a student worker, and a hard working student. Like every other college student, I was waiting for the spring break ever since the winter break was over. I was counting days when finally it was March 5, the day when I was to fly to Louisiana to spend my spring break with my friend!
Before the spring break kicked off, I was too occupied with the mid-terms and so I had been cut off from all that was going on around the world. I had no idea that the world was on the verge of facing something that would challenge the entire human race. To me, it was like any other January but to thousands of people around the world it would be the last January they would live or see their families.
The first week of spring break was great! I was traveling to places, trying good food whenever and wherever possible, and making memories. When all this was going on, I was well aware of the virus COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that hit the human race like lightning. Wherever I went, I always made sure I was safe and was not doing anything that could cost me my health. The news about how the virus was ripping off the global community was all around. With the growing number of cases every single day in the world, the first thing that would come to my mind every single day I woke up was, “Is my family safe?”
I live in the United States. I have been living here since last August when I started my undergraduate studies here in the US. My plans in life were simple; live as much as I can and learn as much as possible. My family lives in Nepal. I think of them every single day. For all the sacrifices they have made for me to explore my potential I can never thank them enough. They have numerous dreams for me, which I have promised to fulfill. My father wants such a day to come when he is finally done with all the work and is traveling far and wide. He wants to ride the streets of different parts of the world in bicycle all the while feeling the breeze pass through him. I have promised myself that I will make this happen very soon. I have promised myself that I will give both my parents all that they could have but sacrificed for the sake of me and my brother. I have promised myself to stand by their side my entire life and always make them smile. With the pandemic slowly spreading it kills me to know that there is a possibility that these promises will never be fulfilled. What then?
I belong to a middle class family. Both of my parents work hard for us to have a decent life. Even when the virus was already making its mark around the world and people were starting to isolate themselves in their houses, it was normal for my parents to reach the office every single day by 8 am, go to places far and wide for business purposes, work until 8 or 9 pm, and return home. When this was going on, I called them every single day in the morning saying that they should stop working for some days, take the matter seriously, and be at home for at least a month. Would they listen? No. They have been telling themselves that the pandemic cannot harm them as much and there is no reason to panic. While it is true that it is not wise to panic during times of crisis, it is also true that my parents are as vulnerable to the virus as anyone else. Now that the Nepal government has ordered a lock down, they finally are staying at home. This is all that I want form them right now. This finally makes me think that maybe, just maybe, my family is safe, and that I can go back to them as planned this December to spend some time with them.
Being citizens of developing countries comes with various costs. One of them is that the country is not always able to safeguard their citizens against a pandemic as the one caused by the novel coronavirus. The government of Nepal, as I have seen in the most of my life, has always had difficulty with effective planning. It also does not have enough number of well-functioning hospitals and health centers for people to visit to if they get infected with the virus. As of today, there are only 3 beds in the ICU at the leading hospital for the treatment of the virus. Since the testing kit for the virus is very expensive and has to be ordered in bulk, hospitals do not have it in sufficient amount. If hundreds of people are to get infected with the virus, they will not have enough treatment options to help them survive. The very thought of this is scary. Till today, three cases of the novel coronavirus has been reported in Nepal. Although the number seems to be very small, there are a lot of chances for the number to go up really quick and if that happens Nepal will have grave difficulty protecting its citizens.
While I am worried of my family in Nepal, I am also worried about how to get back to daily life after the pandemic. The economy of US is getting the greatest hit since the Great Depression. Thousands of people are losing their jobs and businesses. Whenever I see my seniors graduating this semester and the next semester, I see the internal struggle they are going through right now. They worry that they will lose the internship opportunity they finally got after months of applying to tens of companies. They worry that they will not be able to work the job they were once willing to because of all the socio-economic changes that are yet to come. I feel them. We, international students, have our future at stake and it looks like there is nothing much the world can do today to safeguard our future.
Besides all the worries the novel coronavirus pandemic has caused me and several other people, it has brought a lot of other changes. Although the changes have mostly been unwanted, there are some that have benefitted us. People are staying at their homes, spending time with their loved ones, helping each other, acting responsible, and hopefully, reflecting upon their lives. This outbreak has taught us that we are all equal in the eyes of nature, that the boundaries that humans created cannot differentiate us on the basis of our country, race, or ethnicity. The act of quarantine has given our earth some time to heal from all the damages humans have brought to it (no matter how short the time is). The earth is breathing fresh air. Marine life is slowly flourishing. Pollution is being cut off significantly these days. Life is no more about making money, it is about surviving through this pandemic and helping others do the same. Life is no more limited to oneself. Life, finally, is global. Our pain is global. Our efforts are global. Our faith is global. There is no danger we cannot defeat when the entire race of the most intelligent beings walk hand-in-hand. Yes, it will take time to defeat this deadly pandemic, but once we do we will rise stronger as human beings.
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