This is a second in a series of articles written by the Science and Engineering library’s student assistants about their life during the COVID-19 quarantine.
I am Latif an international student from Ghana, majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in computer science. I am interested in renewable energy and electric cars like Tesla, hence his reason for studying engineering abroad. I am ready to talk all day about Elon Musk and Tesla. In my free time, I like to watch TV shows and stream basketball news and debates on YouTube. I am still figuring out whether to attend grad school after college and I am looking forward to making the most of my time left at Vanderbilt.
Having to finish the rest of the semester online seemed weird at first, especially for someone like me who had to transition from never staying in their room all day to doing just that. I tried to go out a bit at first to study at Central, but then it also got closed and eventually I had no choice but to live in my room and find the balance between telling my mind and my body “hey this is your sleeping space” and then switching to “it’s your work area don’t jump in bed.” I wouldn’t say I was particularly successful at that, but I tried my best.
Despite all the challenges during these times, I’m trying to look on the bright side. I get to tell future generations I survived a global pandemic and lived history! I will have stories to tell my grandkids when they have to write a paper about the COVID-19 pandemic. I think that’ll be cool, but I’d like for things to get back to normal as soon as possible. Another perk of having more time is I’ve learned to be alone for days and just think about life and ways to get better and finish my last half at Vanderbilt stronger. It only gets harder from here onward. I have also gotten to speak with my family more. I always called home once every day but now, I’m able to talk with my family about three times a day and sometimes our calls last for about an hour which is cool.
COVID-19 has been a good life teacher but even the most fun lessons get boring when they feel like an eternity. I’m hoping things can get back to normal sooner than later!