In the first week of March, my life was pretty much in the “business as usual” mode. Attending lectures, meeting friends, working on group projects, chilling out. Yeah, nothing special.
In the second week, something began to change. The COVID-19 situation was becoming more and more serious. There was a growing pressure on Imperial to start delivering remote classes as soon as possible. People got concerned about upcoming tests and exams in the last week of term. My coronavirus anxiety increased so much that I started dropping classes to stay in my room in Evelyn Gardens instead (normally, I don’t skip lectures at all!).
However, I didn’t think about going home early yet. My flight was scheduled on 21 March and I couldn’t leave earlier due to a compulsory workshop the day before.
Studying Environmental Technologyhas been, more often than not, a bleak undertaking. My classmates and I have made a whole lot of jokes about each lecture being anew existential crisis.It feels like climate change isa train wreck in slow motion: a present danger with the potential for utter catastrophe and an increasing number of people frantically waving their hands about trying to warn others. Its most immediate effects are often played down or ignored, nothelped by the fact that it can be hard to definitively say which events have been caused or exacerbated by climate change. It’s far easier for those in positions of power to continue with“business as usual”, kicking responsibility down the line until the situation inevitably reaches a point of no return.And indeed, that has for the most part been the case.
But, of course, climate change feels like old news in the face ofthe current pandemic. Another train wreck, but a far swifter one—it‘s difficult to ignore the effects of a highly contagious virus. We’ve all seen how governments and institutions have been scrambling to respond with varying degrees of success. I’ve been thinking a lot (#isolationmusings)about how governments have prepared for and reacted toCOVID-19 versusclimate change. It’s easily a subject for a full research project so I’m not going to get into it in a student blog post.Needless to say, both issues are train wrecks, neither of which should be diminished by the other.
Still, in a time when apocalyptic comparisons are being made left and right, I‘ve found myself thinking that I had already prepared myself for an apocalypse.Over the past two terms, I have learned the many ways in whichunchecked climate change will impact the world as we know it.That type offuture doesn’t seem so different from what we’re experiencing now, although this particular apocalypse does involve more staying inside than I had been picturing.
On the other hand, studying climate change has also taught me about resilience, which applies as much to people as it does to infrastructure.I finished my course’s lecture terms with a determination tonot give in to the bleak rhetoric that often surrounds global issues. I want to believe in and strive for optimism and mutually beneficial solutions to grand problems. This goes for situations like COVID-19 as well as climate change.
There’s a lot of desperation and panic going around right now, and understandably so. But there have also been innumerable instances of people coming together to support each other and their communities, even though it must be from a distance. We should all take heart from that. These types of situations might be train wrecks in the making, but we still have time to avert the worst-case scenario if we leverage our individual actions into large-scale change. No apocalypse is certain.
After a week of lying around the house, “getting used to” isolation, as I like to call it, and feeling a little bit sorry for myself, I decided it was finally time to start revising for those all important final exams. Except, there was one big problem, I had absolutely no motivation to do much work. I would wake up and just not know where to start, it felt overwhelming that there was so much work to do.
Missing my friends
I wanna take a moment to say that it is totally okay to not feel completely normal right now. Everyone’s lives have been momentarily changed by this, and no one is expected to function at their usual levels. The situation isn’t ideal, so now it’s about making the most.
I feel like it is starting to hit people that it’s time to start revising and I’m going to be honest, the hardest bit is starting. I won’t lie, it took me a couple of false starts before I was actually able to start for good. Now that I have started here are some of my top tips* to making the most of the current situation and getting through this revision period.
Getting some revision done: Productivity
My timetable
Make a timetable – You’re probably going to say “yeah, yeah we know”, and I get that, this is one of the most common tips about. But I’m going to share specifically how to make your timetable efficient and manageable
Don’t be too over ambitious. Set work that you think will be possible to complete
Give yourself a day lee way sometimes. Have a day which you can use to catch up on any things you’ve not been to complete over the past few days.
Mark in your exams, just to clearly see where the end goal is.
Plan what type of revision you’re doing, whether it’s learning material, problem sheets or past papers.
Cross the days off. This is just so satisfying and shows you that you are making progress.
Have an accountability buddy – Have a friend who you text in the morning, just saying what you hope to achieve by the end of the day. Check back in at the end of the day (or at regular intervals) and see if you’ve managed to achieve this. This is a fun way to add a little bit of pressure to hitting your revision goals
Have separate “work and play” areas – This is key to making sure your brain knows when it’s time to focus and when it’s time to chill. For me my desk is my work space, the kitchen and dining table are one of my chill places where I cook and eat, and of course my bed is my most used chill space for, well, sleeping and Netflix…
Staying sane and positive: Wellbeing
Don’t oversleep everyday – Now that we’re all at home all day, it’s very tempting to sleep in everyday. Whilst this feels pretty good to begin with, eventually oversleeping can leave you feeling more tired during the day. Of course do have those wonderful lie ins from time to time, definitely very enjoyable.
Heading out for walks
Get some exercise – With the current situation I know it is much harder to get your usual amounts of exercise. Whether you’re choosing to do some home exercise or are still going out for a walk or run, make sure you keep it up. Getting exercise is an important part of keeping your body and mind healthy, and is a great break from work.
Fresh air – Even if you don’t want to go outside, just open a window for a little while or sit on your balcony or in your garden. It just feels so good after being cooped up for a long time.
Cooking time
Talk to your friends – See below
Have routine – Try to keep to some some sort of routine. Wake up at the same time, make sure you have some breakfast. Take breaks from studying. Don’t burn yourself out now, this is going to be a marathon not a sprint.
Eating well – Despite some food shortages there is still plenty of food available in the shops. Remember to eat plenty of vegetables, if you’re struggling to buy enough veg to last you through a week or before you’re able to go to the shops again, then try to cook some vegetables as soon as you’ve bought them and put them in the freezer ready to eat later in the week.
Social Interaction ideas: Fun
Video calls!
It’s fair to say one of the biggest changes that isolation has caused is the fact we can’t see our friends in person. Many have had to say goodbye to friends who’ve had to move home 3 months early. Some are also now living alone as flatmates head home. All of this can leave us feeling socially isolated and that’s not good. Why not try some of these out
Video/Audio calls – The easiest way to keep in touch with friends and family despite the distance. Whatever method you like: Messenger, Zoom, Teams, Discord or one of the many more options. Maintaining relationships right now is so important to staying positive.
Online games – There are plenty of online games available to stay connected with your friends in a fun way. From online “Pictionary” (skribbl.io or gartic.io) to cards against humanity. Another popular game I was recently introduced to is Stardew Valley (would highly recommend) What could be more fun than building a farm with your friends!
MathSoc’s online socials
Get involved with your societies – Loads of societies are doing stuff online, from bingo to online socials. MathSoc, the society I run, has recently done a bunch of online socials such as skribbl.io, we even have a movie night coming up. We’ve even launched a campaign called #MathSocAtHome, which is all about keeping our members connected at a time like this. We have had some competitions such as a video call screenshot competition and we’re asking people to send in their best memories from the year which we share as a way of keeping people positive.
Netflix Party – clue’s in the name, but try Netflix-ing with your friends, just as if they were with you!
Any other worries
*Disclaimer: I may or may not be following all of my top tips, but I aspire to have followed them all by the end of this week
I hope that some of these tips help you with your revision and help boost your wellbeing. I know that people will be worried about exams and things right now, my biggest piece of advice here would be to speak to your department and reps. They will likely have answers to your questions and be able to support you best. Feel free to drop me a comment or message as well.
All in all, all that’s left to say is: Try your best to stay positive and productive, you can’t do anymore than that.
Ever since the World Health Organisation’s classification of COVID-19 as a pandemic, a new face of the world was unveiled to us. A world where countries are progressively shutting down borders and locking down. A world where supermarket pasta and toilet roll aisles are ravaged and international capital cities turning into ghost towns. A world that I took for granted.
Taking a step back from this exceptional sanitation crisis and with the social distancing, I realised how elements of what seemed part of a natural lifestyle were in fact blessed treasures: walking in to university daily, picnicking in Hyde Park with some friends, attending workshops, conferences, art exhibitions, socials and the list goes on! Having discussed this with some friends, we also agreed on how easy it was to feel locked up and literally cut off from the rest of the world (especially with everyone being in different times zones). Loneliness, stress and boredom may start to kick in as well as an untameable desire to run outside and scream.
Don’t worry you’re NOT alone.
It’s very easy to loose your sanity in such an insane environment but remember that you’re not the insane one the world around you is. I wanted to put up some tips to help turn that confinement upside down to render it slightly more fun.
1. “REUNITED AGAIN AND IT FEELS SO GOOD”
For some, being trapped indoors with your family and four energetic siblings may seem like a nightmare but it’s also a great way to spend some quality time with your family outside of term. Take advantage of that through doing multiple activities such as board game nights, movie nights, cooking. I was missing England too much and decided to make scones with my brother although we were unfortunately missing the clotted cream. Nothing beats homemade food!
2. “CONNECT WITH YOUR FRIENDS”
I know how challenging it can be to keep in touch with everyone at once especially with the different time zones and schedules but definitely organise grouped calls through WhatsApp, Messenger, Skype (sounds prehistoric I know but I rediscovered it and have to say that has some amazing new features such as adding live emojis on videos and screen sharing). I recently have been on calls with friends from the Netherlands, UK, Korea, France, Austria and China! Technology really does bring people together in times like this. If you haven’t already, also download Houseparty, the new confinement app! It alerts you when your friends are “in house” so its super easy to begin a conversation and has series of games such as Chips and Guac. Of course don’t hesitate to host remote Netflix parties!
Andrex chilling with the antiques* #Friends
* I took this picture in London, a luxurious pack of Andrex toilet paper was featured in an antique shop and it really lifted up my mood!
3. “WORK, WORK, WORK”
No motivation to work? I understand. Its quite hard but try to schedule in a few hours a day to work on your degree remotely especially as exams are approaching while giving yourself plenty of time to rest. By doing so you’re making sure that you’re not doing everything last minute and enjoying that well earned Easter break!
4. “HOME EXERCISE”
It definitely won’t replace sprinting in Hyde Park or rowing in the Thames but try to do some at home exercise, you’ll see that it will bring your mood up. Some ideas include yoga and mediation, home workouts or justdance sessions!
5. “SPRING CLEAN”
Moving back home always means quite a lot of unpacking for me. I know however that I am far from being alone on that aspect. For many, there are just some cardboard boxes or stored items that we did not really have time to take care of (or at least that’s what we said back then 🙂 ) when we left to university and slightly forgot about them. Now is the perfect time to deal with those and spring clean!!
6. “TRY OUT NEW THINGS”
On top of taking on old hobbies that you put aside during term time, this confinement period may be the perfect opportunity to take on new challenges and try out things that you would have otherwise never done. Try learning a new language, a new instrument, coding anyone? Sign up to MOOCs, become the next Shakespeare or Picasso!
Please also check out Charlotte’s blog on COVID19 and mental wellbeing! After all, healthy brain healthy being.
In these difficult times we need to support one another and trust the scientific community.
So please call up those loved ones, make some homemade tiramisu and pick up a new book!
Are you seriously considering a career in research? Do you want to discover new places while doing what you love? Or maybe you just want to spend your summer in an exciting way? The International Research Opportunities Programme (IROP) might be for you! It is an exchange programme which allows you to undertake a 2-month research internship at world-class Imperial partner institutions, with all costs covered by a bursary. This includes accommodation, food, flights and a visa!
I promise you this is not going to be yet another standard blog about the medical or biological nature of COVID-19 and it’s physiological and socio-economic impact – I am sure you all have been reading plenty of well-researched, well-articulated articles across the world written by experts, including a report published by our very own Imperial College London which many news articles claim was the prime catalyst for the UK and US administrations to step up their actions against the spread of COVID-19! My intention, however, is to reflect on what I have learnt from the ancient epics and scriptures from my traditions and culture and what it taught me about the attitude and mindset one needs amidst this global war.
Being a foot-solider and listening to our commanders-in-chief
This is not the time, in my humble opinion, to express our ‘right to express dissent’ against the Government or institutions. This is especially applicable in Western democracies like the UK, where I have seen so many people just blindly ignoring or neglecting the advice regarding COVID-19 simply because it is from someone who they don’t like for political purposes. I can say this because my experience in London a few weeks into the pandemic and the ‘care-free’ and stubborn attitude of people not taking proper precautions, despite multiple advisories and guidance from medical and government institutions. I sincerely feel this is not the time to demonstrate “freedom”, rather we must let go of our ego and become foot-soldiers obeying the commands of the commanders-in-chief- our medical and governmental institutions – surely they have MUCH MORE information at their fingertips than we receive through family, friends or other social media posts…
Focus more on performing our duties rather than demanding rights
Some may take offense- but as previously mentioned, these are reflections of my personal learning. Performance of duty is a concept that has been drilled into my head since childhood. Regardless of what the political system of our nation is, a duty-bound society based society is far more sustainable than a rights-based on. This is certainly NOT to disregard the importance of rights and speaking up for what we deserve. Rather, it is to advocate for performing our duties and responsibilities to our family, educational institution, nation, and the world first before complaining or demanding from the government. Millions of people are now unemployed, hungry and in desperate need of help. It would be too naive on our part to put the ENTIRE responsibility of ensuring that everyone is safe and economically well-off on political leadership because frankly, there are financial and administrative limits to how much a small group of ministers can handle, especially in times of crisis where the situation is so dynamic. If we can remind ourselves of our duties and follow them, I personally feel the situation can be dealt with more effectively rather than if we simply keep criticizing and demanding things.
Positivity, gratitude, and respect
Since the many weeks that have passed, I have been reading multiple rants (some of which are quite harsh and abusive) against the Imperial College leadership and departments on public social media platforms, with a lot of hateful language being used against the administration of the university. I am proud to say that I come from a culture that RESPECTS teachers, educational institutions and seniors, regardless of our preferences. Am I asking for too much when I say that those senior to us in the university deserve basic respect and decency from us? Yes, you have your issues with them – that’s what the student union is for! Do we still have the gratitude that we are in one of the top 10 universities across the world and that it is each one of our duties to be dedicated students and use a constructive approach when criticizing rather than resort to vulgar, hateful comments on social media? Perhaps a little gratitude to EACH AND EVERY member of staff and leader of our university, alongside those who health workers and volunteers and our political leaders included who are all playing their part in fighting against a common enemy, is a much more sensible representation of us as responsible young adults, as opposed to the vulgar rants and a constant sense of ‘entitlement’ to always be at the receiving end…
I have done and still do a lot of part-time work at Imperial. It is financially rewarding and it feels that I am contributing to the Imperial community in some way. Last time, I spoke about working as a student caller and fundraiser with the regular giving team. This time, I am going to tell you about what the President’s Ambassador (PA) scheme is and what it is like to be a PA.
The Application Process
Hiring usually opens a few weeks into the first term of the academic year. You are required to fill a standard application form to provide your contact details, the reasons behind applying, and any previous experiences you have. No CV or references required! If your application is successful, you will be invited for a group interview. Thinking back, my PA interview was the most relaxed interview I have ever had to do. The interview essentially assesses your suitability to the work. Following the interview, you will either be rejected or made an offer to join the PAs team. If you choose to accept the offer- you really should- then you will have to do some routine paperwork and identity checks to be added to the College’s payroll.
Training
You will obviously be asked to attend a short training session. I remember it was in the afternoon and it was 2-3 hours max. The session aims to inform you what is expected of you as a PA and you get to meet some senior PAs to ask any questions about the role. Although I should warn you, there will be some regular and awkward ice-breakers at the start- always fun. Otherwise, the training session is immensely insightful and informative!
On Shift
“The range of activities that President’s Ambassadors get involved in is very wide, including:
leading official Imperial College London campus tours
representing the College at Open Days
giving student life talks at schools and on-campus
meeting and greeting delegations of international visitors
ushering at special Imperial occasions”
The above is directly taken from the official Imperial College London website. This is one of the perks of the job; the diversity of your tasks and the element of choice you get. Your shift can range from a regular one-hour-long campus tour to a 9 to 5 shift helping out during the open days. Moreover, there is a chance to do remote work through webinars for prospective students.
The Time commitment
There is no minimum time commitment. You only sign up for work when you are available. You get emailed about opportunities when they arise. If you are free and would like to take them then you email back saying so and you only hear back if you were selected. Opportunities are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Once you join the scheme, you are on it until you graduate which means that you don’t have to reapply every single year.
What I Gained from This Experience
Alongside the financial reward, there is a huge potential for networking with staff and guest speakers. A few times now, I found myself helping out at lectures where I was genuinely interested in the topic and I ended up having great conversations with the speakers. Additionally, I have significantly improved my communication skills and public speaking ability. I have also met a lot of fellow students with whom I have become really good friends.
There is more information available through this link. I hope this blog is useful and feel free to get in touch with any questions!
A week ago I moved out of my student accommodation. So much has changed in this past week, and social isolation has become of utmost importance. There’s been a lot of uncertainty from the outbreak, particularly for those being made redundant, or the GCSE and A Level students. The country, the world, has felt a lot of anxiety. The Covid-19 outbreak has had the unexpected side effect of significantly worsening the world’s mental health. It’s hard enough worrying about catching coronavirus yourself, but the thought of spreading it to the vulnerable makes things all the worse. I’ve found a couple of things have really helped my mental health during this outbreak, and may well help yours too.
I never thought that studying would be an escape for me during this outbreak, but it truly is. With uncertainty around exams, I’m revising regardless as I’ve managed to forget a lot! Putting out a huge chunk of the day for work is a huge chunk of the day spent not thinking about the outbreak. I’ve enjoyed listening to some relaxing nostalgic music while studying and making cute flashcards for revision. It creates some sense of control in this pandemic, and putting my soul into work has helped my mental health a lot. If the thought of working more doesn’t make you feel nauseous, and is feasible in your situation, I really recommend it purely for the sake of distraction and having that routine from a study timetable.
I’ve also found watching films and playing video games to really help. Particularly video games. Animal Crossing has just come out on the Switch and it really couldn’t be a better time. Interacting with villagers somewhat helps with the isolation coming from social distancing, and activities like fishing and hunting for bugs create a sense of calm. I implore anyone who owns a DS to hunt for their copy of the game, or even just listen to the soundtrack or watch Youtubers play it, it puts your mind off things for a bit and there’s nothing as comforting or wholesome. Netflix also has put so many releases out – a lot of nostalgic childhood favourites such as Studio Ghibli films. When it comes to feeling better, I find nothing works quite like watching films or playing games I used to love growing up, and with social isolation there’s now a lot of time to binge the classics. One film I recommend for anyone in need of a digital hug is My Neighbour Totoro. Make some hot chocolate, cuddle in blankets, and watch it, I promise you’ll feel so relaxed after.
Connecting with people is important, but especially now. Just messaging friends, arranging phone calls, talking about things which make you happy, or venting, can be so nice and can provide a bit of solace during this storm. I’ve kept in touch with my friends and am even arranging a Netflix Party with one ! Did you know that’s a thing now?
I think the most important things to do during this outbreak to feel a bit better, however, are keeping a routine and limiting news reading. Setting some sort of daily routine, as well as things to look forward to in the day, has really helped me as well as my other family members and friends. I have friends who are rediscovering their passions, such as music or baking, and it’s been really nice to hear about. I’ve been doing the same, keeping things in the day to look forward to. Avoiding the news has really helped too. I now check in once a day after Boris Johnson’s daily update to hear about the current situation and stay informed, but checking more often has revealed little more to me in terms of updates and has just made me feel vastly worse. If the pandemic is frightening you too much, and making you struggle to think about much else, I’d recommend muting news apps and only checking occasionally for the sake of learning more about how to protect others and yourself, and to hear about if the situation has changed.
I hope all of you are doing well, staying inside, and finding some sources of comfort during these very difficult times.
Disclaimer: This is not an official statement from Imperial College. This is just me deciding to write a blog to update people as I ran out of things to do during isolation 🙂
Imperial has been responding vigilantly to the COVID19 crisis. The Faculty of Medicine had been emailing us updates over the past few days detailing how we should proceed during these uncertain times. We are all trying to adapt to this fast-changing situation the best we can.
Difficult decisions were made. Clinical exams were duly cancelled. All teaching will be delivered remotely for the rest of the academic year. Written exams will be set online! Yes, I will do my summative exams in my bedroom. The campus has gone through a 48-hour transition period to be run remotely.
No one expected the academic year to end so abruptly. The first-years feel robbed of experiencing so many new things. The final-years feel robbed of getting to say goodbye to Imperial. I know those things may feel small and trivial when you think of the bigger picture but I thought they are still worth being acknowledged.
It wasn’t only bad news. Professor Robin Shattock’s Lab, within the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine, developed a prototype vaccine for COVID19 with the hope of starting human trials soon. The ICSM-V group (ICSM Volunteers) was set-up to provide opportunities for medical students from all years to volunteer. This is to help alleviate some of the pressures that COVID19 placed on our healthcare system.
That’s it for this one. I hope it was a good read. In the meantime, please stay safe and look after yourselves and those around you.
Not quite how I thought my time at Imperial would end
Last Friday night standing in Metric, waiting for the results of the Leadership Elections 2020, little did I know that that would be the last time I saw so many of my friends, the last time I stood in the Union Buildings and my last gathering of more than 5 people as an Imperial student. 10 minutes later, we received the email that told us College was due to close and that the entire community of 17,000 students and 8,000 staff would be moving online.
Saying goodbye to the RCSU as the mascot bearer
The world has been shaken up by Covid-19. We have seen major cities go on lockdown, major health systems crumble under the pressure to cope with the increased demand for care and we’ve all had to undergo massive changes in lifestyle. As students attempt to return home or go into isolation many will be wondering whether they will come back or not. For final year students this has meant saying goodbye nearly 3 months early, and I can’t even begin to imagine the stress that International students are going through at a time like this.
My final weeks
Although the end has come sooner than expected, I am so grateful for the final few weeks I got at Imperial. Spending time with friends, organising my last few events for MathSoc and the RCSU are all things we probably took for granted at the time, and are now missing incredibly.
Luckily the Science Challenge Awards Night just made it in before social distancing started. Although we saw a great deal of elbow bumps instead of handshakes, it was a wonderful night to celebrate the hard work of all of the entrants, recognising some amazing pieces on Climate Change. We had videos, essays and so much more. Isabelle, our Science Challenge Chair, and her team put in so much effort to organising the competition and the awards pulling out a perfect event.
RCSU Committee at Revel
However the highlight of the past few weeks has to have been Roaring Revel. This is a join event between the RCSU and DoCSoc and I was lucky enough to lead the RCSU’s planning side of this event. Although the lead up to the event was hectic, with tastings at the venue, selling tickets and packing bags of drinks tokens, it was so nice to work with a group of people who I hadn’t worked closely with before, little did I know it would be the last event I ever organise at Imperial. Despite the oncoming warning of Covid-19, (this event was at the start of March), 470 people came out to the fantastic venue of Quaglino’s for our black tie event which had a 1920’s theme since the venue screamed Great Gatsby. Although I didn’t know this would be the final party or large event I would attend as a student, it was absolutely one of the best events I have ever attended, with Antics as the DJ, amazing drinks and food and some wonderful friends, it is certainly a night I will never forget, only made more special by the thought of it being the last ever one.
Head Shaving 101
The final few days before isolation ensued were spent saying goodbye to friends and members of staff at Imperial who have been a big part of my journey. The absolute last social interaction saw some of my friends shaving their heads in an attempt to lighten up the difficult situation we’re all in. Whilst not particularly relevant to this article, the results still cheer me up so I’ll share them with you too.
What could’ve been
Unfortunately a number of other events I had planned for the rest of the year got cancelled. The first blow came in the form of MathSoc’s Pi Day being cancelled. The 80 pies however did not go to waste, as we simply handed them out for free. Apparently competitive pie eating was deemed a risk.
The event I am most disappointed about is of course the MathSoc End of Year Dinner. This is an event I added to MathSoc’s calendar as a social sec last year and I was thoroughly looking forward to ending my time at Imperial with a celebration event like this. There are talks of the event being postponed till October, but it is still upsetting to not have the same ending we would’ve liked. The MathSoc Committee has worked so incredibly hard this year, particularly my social sec Sorcha, and I was so hoping that this event would be a great way to celebrate the achievements of the committee this year and welcome next year’s elected committee (minus a president since we elected RON, whoops :/ )
So Long Imperial
With the End of Year Dinner cut, exams looking to be incredibly stressful and my 21st unlikely to be anything other than a video call, things are looking a little bleaker than expected, and certainly not the way I envisaged the end of my time as a student. It is hard to stay positive with so many plans being changed and a great deal of uncertainty.
Responsible Remote Socialising
Saying goodbye to friends so quickly, unlikely to see some of them until Graduation, if that goes ahead, has made friendships feel so rushed. Particularly saying goodbye to my flatmate, Lizzie, 3 months early, we hadn’t even gone through the panic crying cycles that hit before exams this year.
Even with friends who are still in London, as responsible adults we have all switched to remote social interactions that include hours of video calls and playing games online. It’s hard to imagine that nearly 3 years of hard work might not be accompanied by all the fun we had planned for the last term. If I think about it too much it gets really depressing, but even whilst sitting in isolation at home, the number one thing I am grateful for is the friends who’ve stuck by me along the way.
It’s like we’re trapped in some deadly nightmare, my heart go out to those working in hospitals, other medical professions for their incredible work right now, similarly so much gratitude for those working in shops, transport and everything else that is still running as usual to serve people across the country. Hopefully we will get through this soon, and one day we will look back and laugh at the time we stocked up on toilet paper and pasta whilst in isolation for the entirety of the Easter holidays.
But for now, it’s a pretty glum situation. And I am so sad that this is how I’m saying goodbye to Imperial. For the best 3 years, the best friends and the best memories. Thank you Imperial.
