Coronavirus Changing Small Towns and Individuals

Packaged by: Sophie Riley

The virus that flickered into our lives in an instant has become a norm. We have learned to adjust in a matter of minutes. Although, it will forever go down in history, and our lives will never be the same in the future.

I remember the day I heard about COVID. It was all over the news and I read an article about how it was spreading across China. To me, it didn’t seem as if it was real. I thought to myself that there was no way it would ever come into my life and completely change it.

That is where I was mistaken. As I was in Miami for my spring break more cases started to arise in the United States. Our last day was when the first case hit my hometown- St. Louis. I knew that this was not a joke anymore.

We all received the email from Ole Miss stating that our break will be extended and our classes will be online. Sounds great, right? Not in the reality sense. My heart felt as if it had sunken, because our lives were starting to be affected.

Going into the airport and getting on essentially a completely empty flight was eerie. Being home felt like I was in a state of imprisonment. I never left the house. I began to feel tired all the time, having bad eating habits, and felt a lost connection between my friends and I.

As the time continued on, I was allowed to come back to Oxford, Mississippi and stay at my apartment and finish out my classes. It was an amazing feeling to change my scenery and get back on my feet.

My roommates were there, and it allowed me to get out of the hole that I was in at home. Oxford was fun, and the restaurants were open to a sense, and some bars allowed you to sit and eat. Although, there is without fail a consequence for everything.

After being in public and around others, my friend called me one morning to tell me and my roommates that she doesn’t feel well and will be getting tested for COVID. We all were in initial shock. We had been exposed.

In the end, we all ended up getting tested, resulting in six of us testing positive for Corona. I recall calling my parents scared beyond belief. It was the middle of May at the time so it was still so new. I had no idea how it would make me feel or how my body would react.

What was supposed to be a two -week trip to Oxford, became me trapped there the entire summer. I was stuck in my apartment for a month as I tested positive for Corona two times. I couldn’t taste or smell, my body ached, my fever was out the roof, and all I did was sleep.

As we began to all heal, I saw that a lot of friends would drop off little gifts on our front porch. It made me realize that my relationship with those people was still there even when we weren’t able to be.

I learned from this virus that we are not alone. That it is serious, and the more we keep breaking guidelines, the longer we will be pushed back to the beginning.