Told by Rhonda (pictured center), a International Hospitality and Tourism Management graduate student from Vietnam

I am an international student who started my study at the University of South Carolina just this spring semester, so this period of time is a whole new experience to me, especially with the outbreak. To be honest, the announcement of no in-person classes didn’t surprise me, because many other states and countries had started long before UofSC. It was a matter of time. Students travel a lot during spring break and each of us can become a seed harmful to the whole community. Closing in-person classes would limit the spread of the virus. I was so relieved because the right decision was made.

Now, I don’t have to try to keep myself awake during the day anymore, and there are always IAP staff members checking on us to see whether we need any technical help in class or tutoring or if we are bored in our room so they can create some activities for us.

Then, I found out that even though we can’t be in class, our work must continue. I was so happy to hear that our courses will be taught online. Getting back to studying saves me from struggling in the laziness of two weeks of Spring Break. I got up and started to write down my new daily schedule, with time for classes, time to do some exercise to stay active, and time to do something new. Now, I don’t have to try to keep myself awake during the day anymore, and there are always IAP staff members checking on us to see whether we need any technical help in class or tutoring or if we are bored in our room so they can create some activities for us.

Recently, SSA members held an online game for all International Students to join in during their free time. It was a small game; we drew something and others could guess what it was. I really enjoyed this period of time-- we laughed and gave ourselves a break from this difficult period. I just hope other students can join us too. I appreciate knowing that all faculties are working hard to help us be safe while still catching up with our schedule, and are available for us.

I didn’t notice before but thanks to this social-distancing period, I realized how much I miss “normal life” when I can go to schools to present my culture, discover new places, walk under blossomed trees in our University, and really see and talk to people face to face.

Meanwhile, I am trying my best to have good result in our online-class, but also looking forward to starting summer courses, and gaining more job experiences if possible. I am praying for a better situation so everybody can go back to work and all activities can be recovered as normal. I didn’t notice before but thanks to this social-distancing period, I realized how much I miss “normal life” when I can go to schools to present my culture, discover new places, walk under blossomed trees in our University, and really see and talk to people face to face. But until that time, I will try my best to stay calm, stay inside, and be safe.