<\/p>\n
My final 72 hours in Australia were nothing short of unusual.<\/p>\n
My eyes squinted in the bright afternoon sun as I scanned my surroundings for the Union Building. Earlier that morning I had called the Flinders Clinic in search of an inhaler, since my asthmatic cough was acting up. I was told to meet someone to get seen, but after nearly a month at Flinders, I had managed to get lost on campus again.<\/p>\n
I finally spotted a woman with a mask waving at me. I walked over; a bit relieved. As I approached, she took a small step back. I found this peculiar but followed behind as she led me into an office, listening to her quickly explain what was happening. It took me a moment to register what she was saying: I was going to be escorted off-campus by security and placed in quarantine until my COVID-19 test came back.<\/p>\n
A million thoughts raced through my head, all circling back to one main question: what had I gotten myself into?<\/p>\n
The next few hours passed by in a blur, as I was quickly tested and quietly ushered to a hotel where I would quarantine. Genuine fear shone in the receptionist\u2019s eyes when he saw me enter the hotel. He muttered a brief, \u201cI know who you are\u201d and cautiously placed my hotel keys on the desk separating us.<\/p>\n
The following 48 hours in my hotel room felt like an eternity. Luckily, the Flinders Living staff took great care of me. They had delivered a bag of my belongings (carefully packed by my thoughtful roommate, with a pep talk and treasured bag of Swedish Fish) and checked in on me daily. Within minutes of receiving my negative COVID-19 test, a Flinders staff member brought me back to my apartment in the Village.<\/p>\n
Shortly after, I traveled back to the United States, as per national and international recommendations. My 6-month adventure in Australia abruptly ended five months early with a unique final memory.<\/p>\n
Amidst the COVID-19 scare, the Flinders Living staff took care of me as one of their own. Despite the fear and uncertainty of 1) being isolated due to COVID-19 and 2) going back to my home country shortly after, I felt entirely supported. I consider myself lucky to have spent time at Flinders University and to have experienced the kindness of its people during such challenging times.<\/p>\n