By now it isn’t a secret that the novel coronavirus has spread far and wide throughout the world. It’s been quite an ordeal as things have developed so quickly here over the past few weeks. The situation in Germany alone escalated quickly over the last few days, and I’m still waiting for more updates from Fulbright Germany regarding the next steps for us as program participants. This post will sort of be a stream of thought as I try to process what has happened. With that in mind, here is what has gone on in the last week alone…
At the beginning of the week, the numbers regarding those infected with COVID-19 were relatively low compared to surrounding countries. Although it was known that the novel coronavirus was something to be concerned about, it was still a relatively normal beginning of the week at school.
The numbers of those infected in Germany seemed to rise slowly at first, and then grew exponentially. There was discussion about Europa League games being played behind closed doors, and while VfL Wolfsburg had originally planned to play the game open to the public, the decision was finally made Wednesday evening to keep their doors shut. Before I went to sleep that night, I had seen that President Trump was going to address the nation from the Oval Office, and the next day I learned that the world had been plunged into chaos here due to his European travel ban.
I saw stories of American families paying thousands of dollars due to the uncertainty of whether they could get home or not. For us Fulbrighters in Germany, we were unsure as to what this would mean for us. We got an email that said due to the designation of Schengen Area countries as Travel Advisory Level 3 countries by the CDC, that all State Department sponsored programs would be suspended for 60 days. On the same day, Lower Saxony decided that they would start the easter break two weeks early, meaning that schools would be closed in the state for at least five weeks.
We had a meeting in school about school closing, and after the announcement was shared with the students, school was essentially sent into focusing purely on the repercussions and how this would impact them. I was supposed to hold a practice exam for my Cambridge test prep group, but due to the situation and the lack of focus on school, it didn’t seem fair to make them sit through a mock exam, so I let them take it home for them to work on.
That evening, we finally received some communication from the program directors from Germany strongly encouraging us to leave the country and return home. After a long night of thinking and talking it over with people and massive stress, I have decided that the most prudent course of action is to return. I am still working through the logistics of packing up and moving out of my apartment and effectively shutting down my life here in Germany, so for those who might have questions, I already have an answer for you: I don’t know.
The situation is constantly changing and the world around me seems to get less and less flexible to travel. For the first time in a long time, borders within the Schengen Area are being closed, and checks are being implemented to prevent people from entering countries. I can’t help but think back to how just a few months ago I walked across a bridge from Hungary into Slovakia and no one batted an eye. This is something certainly taken for granted in today’s world, being able to travel as one pleases. I hope things return back to normal sooner rather than later…
So yeah, with such a rapidly advancing turn of events, my Fulbright year has come to an end. I will be returning home sometime in the next two weeks and will try to remain healthy in the coming months. This is all still a lot to process, and I’m sure I’ll be back here to reflect on what could have been and what was. Stay tuned…
Teacher Tommy's Travels 