Graphic by Sesame Gaetsaloe/The Choate News
Claire Fu ’22 is a fourth former from Hong Kong
“Before the [novel coronavirus (COVID-19)] pandemic hit, Hong Kong never rested; at every corner you’d hear music from a busker down the corner, or you could watch the spectacular light show that took place at the harbor. Now, the streets no longer teem with life. I have been put into quarantine after international travel, and even within my own home, I am confined to my room and can’t get too close to my family members for fear of possibly infecting them with the virus.
Now with campus closed for the rest of the term, I am at a loss. When I first heard the news about the extended break, I had to arrange for alternate housing until April 6, having only planned to stay with a family friend until March 22. The extended break allowed me to consider returning home, but the quarantine, difference in time zones, remote learning, and change in class schedule made the decision unfeasible. On the other hand, staying in the U.S. meant I would continue to inconvenience host families, taking up the time and resources they were offering out of pure kindness. As an international student, I was encouraged to stay within the country, but at the same time, I couldn’t go back to school. I felt like I had nowhere to go.
Eventually, we made the decision for me to go home, and there began another host of challenges. Because of the time difference, I mainly watch class recordings and attend few synchronous classes. All of my belongings are at Choate, so the fact that I didn’t have time to pack properly meant that I came back to Hong Kong nearly empty-handed. I miss my friends so much, and I don’t know how to handle not seeing any of them until September. The environment of living and learning in the same place, one that I enjoy so much, has now become endless hours of online learning.”
Anna Bonnem ’21 is a fifth former from New York City
“My family wasn’t impacted while I was still at Choate, but now that coronavirus spreads so easily in my community, we are being extremely careful. My mom, especially, is not taking any chances due to her auto-immune disease. She hasn’t given me so much as a high five since I got home from crew preseason almost a month ago. Since then, I have been slowly coming to terms with the fact that my junior spring has essentially been erased.
There are a few positives, however: I get to spend a lot of time with my two sisters; I have been baking a lot to pass the time; and I can still keep in contact with my friends online. But it is sometimes hard to stay positive when I see people I care about have their lives upended. Most of the disruption that I am experiencing stems from not being at Choate; being on the robotics and crew teams, I have effectively lost both competition seasons, and as a member of the Symphony Orchestra, I know that many musicians will be heartbroken not to finish out the spring with our conductor, Mr. Ventre, for his very last year.”
Thomas Barton ’22 is a fourth former from Conway, MA.
“I live in a small town that has always been very quiet. Before the pandemic hit, I only occasionally saw some neighbors on the road. Surprisingly, in the midst of this pandemic, my town has become more connected. Although everyone is keeping their distance, my family and our neighbors have been checking in more often with one another. I love that my community has decided that it is time to come together and help each other instead of hiding away in our homes during this chaotic time.
For me, I first began realizing how severe this situation truly was in mid-March; I knew then that there would be a lot of change. However, I can’t say that I necessarily expected all of this at the beginning of the pandemic.
With this pandemic have come many changes, for one, it’s forced me to adopt a new daily routine. It has also definitely made me more appreciative of what we can do when we are not in quarantine.
My family has become closer during this crisis — it’s been nice to have everyone home and all together during this time. We are all finding fun activities to do together like cooking and card playing. I miss my family when at School, so I am grateful for the surprising opportunity this pandemic has given me to further connect with them.”
Kate Spencer ’20 is a sixth former from San Clemente, CA.
“I live in California, so there are always a lot of people outside, on the freeways, shopping, or going to restaurants. Now, you go onto the freeway and there are only three cars in your line of sight. The city closed all of the beaches, so you’ll see a lot of people walking and running. Mostly though, everyone is staying indoors.
I’m still in shock about campus closing. I was expecting a senior spring and a senior crew season, and I don’t think I’ve fully processed that we aren’t returning. I won’t ever do dorm duty again. I won’t go into the dining hall anytime soon, and I’ve already competed in my last crew race.
While the whole online learning situation is understandable and I recognize that the School had no choice, I still wish we had more closure. A lot of us are hoping for some form of a graduation ceremony this summer. It’s weird that the winter term-end week was our last time all together, and we didn’t even know it.
To be honest, the pandemic itself hasn’t really impacted me that much — I’m just sad that I’m missing out on senior spring, assuming we won’t return to campus. I really miss my friends and my prefectees, but we are all in the same boat and there’s nothing we can do about it. My parents are being really supportive — their lives are different now, too, because they are both working from home.”
Charlotte Meyers-Elkins ’22 is a fourth former from New York City
“I have always loved New York City, particularly Manhattan, because of the people. Being home now, it feels like I am in a completely different place. A few days ago, I went outside for the first time in over two weeks to get groceries as we were running out of food and needed to restock. There were barely any people on the streets. The city felt almost abandoned. While I completely understand that it is of the utmost importance to practice social distancing and stay at home, it also feels crazy to me that a city of 8.6 million people can feel so empty.
I was supposed to be in Spain on term abroad upon leaving for spring break, so I questioned whether I would still be able to travel internationally due to the increasing concerns of coronavirus at that time. I knew that spending my spring term on Choate campus rather than in Spain was a possibility, but when I heard about Choate’s decision to switch to remote learning for the rest of the term, I couldn’t believe it. Having since learned more about the situation and how it is impacting my hometown, I understand now why that choice was made.
While I will, of course, miss my friends, teachers, dormmates, and just being on campus in general, I believe that it was the right call for Choate to make. Just seeing how the coronavirus has affected so many people in New York alone has made it clear to me that this is not something to take lightly or make a joke about.
Yet, I count myself to be lucky that none of my close friends or family have gotten the coronavirus. My family just received news the other day that someone in my apartment building has the virus, which has made the whole situation much more real.”
Ula Lucas ’21 is a fifth former from New Haven, CT
“I am a day student living in New Haven, which is home to Yale University. Even as a day student, being at home for remote learning has still been a bit of a shift for me. During the school year, I leave the house at dawn and return at dusk, leaving me feeling odd now being in my house all day. While I have my Zoom class, my mom — who is a professor at Yale — is teaching in the next room. Living in a university town, I have experienced the staggering effects of the pandemic and how it has disrupted education on an incredibly large scale.
When we left for spring break, I, like many others, had no clue that we would not be returning to campus. I had a few international students staying with me over the break so that returning to Choate would be easier for them. After about a week, however, they had to book flights home. That’s when I really started to grasp the gravity of the situation.
I am devastated that we will not be returning to campus. It’s hard to think that I will not be able to see the seniors I love or the friends I wave to on the path one last time this school year. Overall, I am beyond thankful that my family is healthy, safe, and self-isolating together.”
