Week 10: Back in US

Going to Frankfurt Airport was kind of nerve-racking for me. I only was able to get at most 2 hours of sleep before taking the shuttle bus with the group. I was unsure of how traveling back to the US would turn out, if we would get in without any trouble. I was luckier than the other students as I was one of the few with a direct flight. Since the US had suspended international travel and designated specific airports to screen for corona, students who had not booked a flight to Dallas had to be rerouted to first arrive to Chicago or other far cities with major airports. Despite the situation the flight wasn’t so bad for me. A few other students booked the same flight, so I wasn’t alone. I took advantage of my last legal alcoholic drinks on the flight and befriended the person sitting next to me. I also passed out for more than half the flight without even meaning to since I had gotten so little sleep the night before. When I finally did arrive to the US I was surprised how lenient the screening process was. I had heard the stories online about 7+ hour waiting lines that packed hundreds of people tightly together, a recipe for disaster in the midst of a pandemic. Yet the actual screening process I experienced was simply filling out a form detailing my recent travel, filling out a short series of questions on a kiosk, and telling some person I had been feeling healthy and not experienced any symptoms. I honestly thought it would have been a lot stricter, yet I was finished with the screening process within 10 minutes. Honestly, the short screening process did not make me feel any better as I felt it wasn’t thorough at all and plenty of people could have lied about how they had been feeling. Regardless, I was finally back in Texas and able to go back home to my family. Since I had to self-quarantine, I had to spend most of my time in my room, limiting the time I was actually able to be with my family. They did not like the idea of me being gone so long, and now that I’m finally back, that I still couldn’t be with them. My sister continuously made plans with me despite me repeatedly explaining the situation. Although I felt completely fine, I understood I could have been asymptomatic, especially since I had been in so many high-risk areas during my spring break. I honestly really enjoyed my first week of quarantine compared to the other students in the program. It seemed harder for them to adjust from living it up in Europe and spending time with such great friends, to being confined in their own rooms/housing alone. I personally enjoyed the change of pace. I felt the past few months had been very fast, with tons of new experiences every single day, and stressful due to COVID, so being able to relax at home for awhile wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed my personal time; being able to practice some guitar, get some exercise at home, play video games with friends and reconnect with them. I was free to enjoy my days without worrying about school for awhile as most campuses across the country had suspended classes for the week after spring break. I didn’t really have reason to leave my room either other than warming up food and using the bathroom. My girlfriend who lives in my hometown, as well as my mom, were both considerate enough to buy me supplies prior to arriving which they left on the doorstep of my house. Quarantine showed me, given the opportunity, I will devour an entire bag of Family pack doritos in one sitting haha.