14 Days Later…

I feel like the coronavirus is the only thing we talk about now. I don’t want to write another blog based on it but that’s what is ruling my life right now so it be like that.

I survived 14 days in true quarantine! It felt like I was reliving the same day for two weeks straight. I had (and still don’t) no concept of time. I am not sure what I did each day besides sit on the couch. And I felt so lazy not doing much for 14 days but I didn’t have much to do, I didn’t leave projects for myself to come home to. The most interesting thing I did was write the blog about my trip home. I spent a LOT of time on my phone watching TikToks, scrolling through Instagram and on FaceTime with my friends.

I am super thankful my mom stayed home with me and I didn’t have to quarantine alone. I am also super thankful that Sarah’s family took Andrew and Marie and that my grandma took my dad in for those two weeks. If the rest of the family had been home during my quarantine, they’d be subject to it too. And that wasn’t a viable option because Andrew and my dad HAD to go to work. So, today I am thankful for the friends and family I’ve been gifted and their willingness to help no matter the situation.

The other good news is that I passed my temperature checks with flying colors! I passed with straight A’s and ended the two week period with a 4.0. I haven’t done that well in school since freshman year of highschool.

Now the whole family is back together under one roof. And we gained an extra member! My cousin, Maddie, (who was supposed to come to Krakow) is with us for the next few months since all of her face-to-face classes are cancelled. I haven’t seen her since the summer so it’s really nice to have her around. Plus she helps with the chores, so there is slightly less for me to do. 

As for my classes, I don’t have a good idea of what is going on. USAC said they would be contacting our professors to see how they wanted to teach their classes and I have heard very, very little. I know USAC is overwhelmed but my classes were supposed to start up again this week and I only know what’s going on with 1 of my classes. I am frustrated.

My Jewish Studies professor has been really great about everything and I had my second online class with her today. I have class with her on Skype. She sends materials for us to look at before class and then we discuss them in the second half of class after she lectures. Today I was babysitting, so baby Atticus made a guest appearance at the end of my class. As soon as my classmates and professors saw him, there were smiles across my computer screen. I’m glad my Jewish Studies professor has it together because her class is my favorite and I’m happy I can continue it.

For my language class, I heard that I am supposed to do the worksheets my professor sends in an email and then email pictures of them back with the answers. I’m upset about this because that is not how you learn a language. Polish is already hard enough and now I don’t have anyone to explain what’s going on. And what’s the point of learning the language if I can’t speak it.

For my art and arch & culture class, I still don’t know what’s going on. I know I have to write the papers to get the grade for the class and that is it. I’m bummed that I can’t finish these classes in Krakow because half of the meetings were study tours. How am I supposed to see city architecture and go to museums from my couch in Michigan? 

Anyway…

If you keep up with my blog you know I had trips planned to Cyprus, Austria, Hungary, Israel and Greece. Since I can’t go anymore I photoshopped me and my travel buddies in each location. They’re on the pictures page. It made me feel a little better and everyone in the picture had a good laugh.

I will be going back to Europe. Not quite sure when yet…but I will. I’ve got a whole list of cities I didn’t get to see and friends to visit. Here is my list for my next European adventure:

• Krakow, Poland
  • There are things on my list I didn’t get to check off
    • Auschwitz
  • And I just love the city so much
• Gdansk, Poland
• Paphos, Cyprus
• Vienna, Austria
• Salzburg, Austria
• Budapest, Hungary
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• Haifa, Israel
• Jerusalem, Israel
• The Dead Sea
• Athens, Greece
• Santorini, Greece
• Antalya, Turkey
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Mallorca, Spain
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • the Tulip field

This list will probably get longer the longer I stay in the USA.

You can expect at least two more blog posts. One at the end of the semester about finishing my classes. And one about reverse culture shock and a reflection on my trip. But after that, I’m not sure how many I’ll write…maybe I’ll find a new adventure to write about.