Settling in at the University Village Minneapolis (my point of stay for the next seven months in Minneapolis, Minnesota before I head back home) after very long and too many connecting flights with the COVID-19 fear looming over was never going to be easy. Amidst the traveler’s fatigue sided with the jet-lag and the foreseeable Minnesota-long sleepless nights, the ensuing anxiety attached to the mandatory on-arrival five days self-quarantine and isolation before taking a COVID-19 test, early adjustment seemed like a distant dream.
Surprisingly, the next five days turned out to be quite very favorable and it didn’t take long to get adapted to the living in a foreign land. While there was not much of a jet-lag, the sleep pattern was thankfully unperturbed and everything was normal. The apartment and everything needed for a comfortable stay was taken care of by the very considerate program coordinator(s). Super kind former Humphrey fellows left all the cutlery, crockery and kitchen-ware at the apartments with very warm and nice hand-written welcome notes. The food and other essentials were taken care of by the lovely host families who very considerately picked up all the foods and snacks that you would most likely find suitable for your taste, packed them in the huge box and dropped them at your apartment to welcome you. Had it not been for COVID-19, in a normal circumstances, they would have been there to greet you at the airport and drop you to your new home. Of course, this was extra ordinary times and living in a new normal. They nonetheless made sure through online interactions, zoom meetups and Whatsapp chats that everything was fully taken care of and left some nice hand-written welcome notes for you as well. Being a novice in home-making and cooking expertise, you juggle in with all the electrical appliances which look like dealing with riddles initially, you eventually learn to sort things out and survive.
With Zoom orientation sessions having already started by the IIE and Campus Coordinator during the self-quarantine period, you order COVID-19 test kit and take a Zoom supervised COVID-19 test to share your saliva sample and courier it on the sixth day to receive the results the day after. It’s a super sigh of relief when you finally receive negative reports for COVID-19 test and feel like a bird set free from its cage. Travelling in times of Corona couldn’t get crazier. Imagine getting tested for the same test twice within less than 15 days period. Anyway, all is well that ends well.
You finally meet the fellows from your cohort in-person who you’ve been looking at virtually through smartphone and/or computer screens. In a celebratory spirit, you take a brief walk on the university avenue with the fallen dry leaves on both sides of the road on a fine sunny day, take some nice and trendy pictures and get back to your apartments to resume the remaining orientation sessions.
Adapting and settling in could have been much harder had it not been for this support group and the very talented amazing HHH 2020-21 fellows from different parts of the world. With the support group such as this, you don’t just survive, you thrive.
OF RANDOM THOUGHTS STORIFIED 