Short Blog 6 – Domination

This past week has been a whirlwind. I went from making plans to go to SugarShackTO during the weekend and panicking about an Organic Chemistry midterm to saying goodbye to my Canadian and American friends as they packed their bags and went home after UofT shut down. COVID-19 has taken over aspects of my life I believed I was in complete control of and ended my first year of University abruptly.

I am still in shock when I look out of my window to find St. George street, usually bustling with activity and painted with swarms of students rushing to class, completely empty. It feels bizarre walking into Metro, where I’ve been buying groceries every week for the last 6 months, only to find the shelves cleared out. I shouldn’t be the one buying the last banana left in the store. I shouldn’t be walking down the halls of my residence building expecting shrieks of laughter and but receiving utter silence. I shouldn’t be waking up at 9:00 am with no destination to go to. This shouldn’t be happening. But it is.

This experience has opened my eyes to the immense unpredictability of life. It’s unbelievable how a microscopic organism is now ruling the world: controlling the economy, dictating social behavior, and encouraging the manic purchasing of face masks and hand sanitizer. I think it’s ironic how we’re being pushed to avoid social interaction to stay healthy, even though this might mean sacrificing other aspects of our well-being.

To everyone reading this, please stay safe and stay connected. I hope something good comes out of this panicked isolation we’ve been thrown into. I hope it brings down the death rate and stalls the spread of the virus until we find a cure. Even though I know it’s necessary, I can’t wait for this air of fear and uncertainty to be lifted so we can go back to normal.