Selene Wortel BSc. Medical Student, 2nd year
During the first lockdown in March 2020, I thought it was actually fine. A break, a kind of unexpected holiday. Something we don't have much of during our studies. In addition, we actually had an exam the following week that was cancelled due to the lockdown. That seemed very nice at the time, naive as we were, because in the end we had to make up for everything in the summer. Anyway, back to the start of the lockdown. I was disappointed that the gyms and swimming pools were also closing, because I used to be in the pool 5 days a week. Fortunately, the weather was getting better and better, so outdoor sports and swimming in open water was possible soon. I bought a road bike and started cycling. Within a week or two, all education had also been switched to online, so we only suffered little study delay.
However, after a few weeks of online education, I noticed that more and more fellow students started to lag behind with, among other things, watching the lectures, because they no longer had to be watched live. Also, less time was spent on self-study assignments. Motivation dropped and I also noticed that I was making less and less time to study. Fortunately, I passed all the blocks, but it was quite a 'struggle' to pass those last exams.
‘Ordinary things are special. Perhaps that is the most positive thing we can get out of this crisis.’
As a medical student, especially at Erasmus MC, home to the faces of this covid-19 pandemic, it felt like an obligation to stay positive, because if we can't do it, which student can? When all social activities suddenly disappear, it remains difficult. I think we as students deserve quite a bit of pity. Especially given the fact that today we still have to follow 90% of education from home and there is little for which we can leave home.
Every time the measures are let loose, a whole new, fun world seems to open up. Ordinary things are special. Perhaps that is the most positive thing we can get out of this crisis. I have definitely come to appreciate everything more. They sometimes say: “you only realize it when it is no longer there” and I think that’s true. Never before had I thought I would miss live education, but that is really the case now. Well sometimes... We are now 3 (or 4? I lost count) lockdowns further, but every time it remains difficult to stay positive and go for it. But hey, there is nothing else to it. “We are most tested during the heaviest storms. And when these are over, you know how strong you were. ”
