The first week back was peculiar. I think it still would have been sad returning after my program ended but returning because my program was cancelled felt different. I felt disillusioned like I hadn’t quite processed the fact that I left London until I was back in my room sleeping in my own bed. I think the reason for that was because my mind was very active those last few days trying to make sure everything was squared away. It wasn’t until I finally stopped that it all hit me. The first few days back were hard because I was adjusting to the 8 -hour time change and just adjusting to being back in general. I am super grateful to my family though. They were with me through every step of the process, from when I first heard about having to come back, to picking me up at the airport, and being my support system while I adjusted to the abrupt transition of being back home.
I made sure to check in on all my friends, especially those who were still abroad and trying to return to their home countries. Some faced complications at the airport since there were more screenings happening. I think the most difficult part about being back was having to self-quarantine for two weeks. I took that very seriously because I did not want to put my family or anyone at risk, but it was just difficult not being able to hug them all.
A week after my arrival, I was happy to hear that all my friends safely arrived at their homes. We made sure to keep talking and checking in with one another, which really helped. It was an uncertain time, so having a community to fall back on really helped during the transitionary period. At that point, all the students from the program were in the process of traveling home. As a result, the school decided to take a week off to figure out how to transition to an online teaching method. I found that really helpful, because I think we all needed the time to adjust before starting up school again.
ZJ Abroad 