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Quarantined abroad - Stories from the US

17 May 2020

By Mahika Panditha Another Sunday, another quarantine story! Things are seemingly looking up for us folks, so we must stay positive during times like these despite it being hard. I hope you had a lovely Vesak two weeks ago and have been enjoying your time at home with your families. As I mentioned last week, there are several students in lockdown abroad. While we spoke to students from India and Switzerland the week before, this week we have a group of students spread across the US. As you might know, the US has over a million cases, over 200,000 recoveries, and just over 79,000 deaths thus far. It can be quite scary for people, but we had the chance to talk to some of the Sri Lankan students over there about their experiences in quarantine. Here is what they shared! PEVINDI JAYASURIYA – CURRENTLY IN NEW YORK, USA
  1. Which part of the US are you in and what is the situation over there?
I am in Queens, New York. It has the highest number of cases in the US. Even though the numbers are in the low hundreds, they don't think it will decrease anytime soon.
  1. What is a day in the life of quarantine like for you?
It is repetitive but comfortable. I never leave the house; the only time I do is  twice a week to throw the trash out. As it is bad in New York, I do not risk going grocery shopping either, so anything I need, I order online. I keep busy because I have tonnes of university work to do and with online classes, the day goes by fast. Whilst finishing all my assignments before my deadlines, I also started to exercise cause I felt super unhealthy as all I did was eat, sleep, and work.
  1. What has been your favourite and least favourite thing about quarantine?
My favourite thing to do was trying new things like learning to cook different dishes and a little bit of Spanish. My least favourite thing was the fact that everything we did or wanted to do was very limited. --- ALINA FERNANDO – CURRENTLY IN FLORIDA, USA
  1. Which part of the US are you in and what is the situation over there?
I am in Florida and it’s pretty crazy over here because Floridians don’t care about quarantine and are having parties with 10 people on boats but are still “socially isolating” from the other boats. Also, the Governor decided to open up the beaches and national parks so people have started to go back to their normal lives. I of course have only left the house around six times in the last two months.
  1. What is a day in the life of quarantine like for you?
In quarantine, from morning till late afternoon it is mostly spent doing work – my college assignments and getting on live online classes. I have been getting on a couple of live discussions with various people and using social media for positive things like listening to IG (Instagram) videos of people singing and learning about different topics through podcasts and webinars. I also watch TV shows in my breaks and have been reading books, but they have all been for a class I have to take as a senior before I graduate. I also like to sketch and draw. Unfortunately, I haven’t been going on walks or anything of the sort because I haven’t felt safe to go outside in the apartment complex. I’m in because of how bad my immune system has been in the past and it’s the allergy season.
  1. What has been your favourite and least favourite thing about quarantine?
My favourite thing has been connecting with so many people through social media and learning new things, for example, I took workshops that were taught on Zoom the whole of May and I even attained a leadership certification by ending them. My least favourite thing has to be not being able to go outside and do different things since I am very adventurous. --- ISHINI GAMMANPILA – CURRENTLY IN CONNECTICUT, USA
  1. Which part of the US are you in and what is the situation over there?
I was in Ithaca, New York where my university is, but my friend’s family drove all the way from Connecticut to bring me back to their home because they didn’t want me to be alone. I stayed in Danbury, Connecticut with them for a little over a month. There are a little over a thousand active cases in Danbury as of now.
  1. What is a day in the life of quarantine like for you?
My sleep schedule is really messed up. I go to sleep around 6 a.m. and wake up way past noon. My time is mostly spent between watching TV shows/movies, uni work, and digital art.
  1. What has been your favourite and least favourite thing about quarantine?
My least favourite thing is staying so far away from my family. My favourite thing is probably the time I get to try out new things that I usually wouldn’t have done. --- SHARUKESH SEKER – CURRENTLY IN MINNESOTA, USA
  1. Which part of the US are you in and what is the situation over there?
I'm in Minnesota and I study at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Around early February, the State of Minnesota issued a stay-at-home order which essentially meant that all non-essential workers should stay at home. People were directed to remain at their home, avoid gatherings, and only go out for the essentials like purchasing food and medicine. In the first few weeks, people stormed the grocery stores and started to stockpile. People hoarded toilet paper like it was the cure for the virus. People are still allowed to leave the house though, just as long as they practise social distancing.
  1. What is a day in the life of quarantine like for you?
Study, houseparty calls with friends, and Netflix. Carole Baskin definitely fed her husband to the tigers.
  1. What has been your favourite and least favourite thing about quarantine?
The free time is definitely the best part because you can use the time to reflect on a lot of things once things have slowed down. I've had time to catch up with old friends and you can definitely relate with what people are going through. The worst part of quarantine is that sports are cancelled. If the WWE is considered an essential service in Florida, you’ve gotta bring the NBA back man! --- STEPHAN DE SILVA – CURRENTLY IN OKLAHOMA, USA 
  1. Which part of the US are you in and what is the situation over there? 
I currently study at the Riverside Flight Centre based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In early March, there was a steep increase in new Covid-19 cases. This resulted in a statewide stay-at-home order, which was strictly enforced throughout Oklahoma. Fortunately, the rate of new cases started to decrease towards the end of April/early-May. This led to the Governor partially re-opening the State on 1 May (including restaurants, public parks, gyms, etc.) with strict social distancing rules.
  1. What is a day in the life of quarantine like for you? 
Late nights sleep, Call of Duty with friends, Netflix, eating, hiking, home workouts, and studying.
  1. What has been your favourite and least favourite thing about quarantine?
You start to realise the little things in life that make a huge difference. We’re blessed to live on a beautiful planet, but unfortunately we do so much to destroy it! Hopefully, we learn a lesson out of the quarantine period and continue to protect the environment better. Also, I’ve learned to make a solid chocolate biscuit pudding which I’m super proud of. The least favourite thing is not getting the chance to fly a plane! I was also quite disappointed that the gyms were closed for two months. PHOTOS Pevindi Jayasuriya, Alina Fernando, Ishini Gammanpila, Stephan De Silva   

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