So far this blog has focused on the scientific aspect of microbiology. Today, I’m going to focus on how a specific microorganism has drastically affected my life. Over the past several weeks, a strain of the coronavirus called Covid-19 has spread greatly in the United States leading to school, restaurant, library, park, etc, closures. Because of this virus I got an extra week of Spring break but I am also now quarantined at home for the foreseeable future. Right now it kind of feels like I am living in the movie Contagion, but instead of raiding stores for any viable form of nutrients, people seem to primarily want TP.
Because we can no longer return to campus, almost all classes have moved to an online format using Zoom. I had my first 3 Zoom classes today, all of which went remarkably better than my practice Zoom call of last Friday. However, that was not a very difficult feat: I ended my practice call on the verge of punching something (Andy Bernard-style). Actually, that’s not completely true. I never actually made it onto the practice call because I never got it to work. Yay me!
However, there have been some nice aspects of being quarantined at home. I have gotten to spend a lot of time with my family watching movies, doing puzzles, playing board games, going for walks, and baking. (Basically I’m living the dream life of a 75-year-old.) It is also comforting to know that I am doing all I can to keep not only myself safe, but all the immunocompromised people around me, such as my grandparents. Sometimes we have to be willing to be uncomfortable and deprived to help those around us. I think this mentality is something our country drastically needs, and hopefully this awful virus will at least have the good effect of returning a bit of this unselfishness to the US.
Microbes and Musings 