Part 1: Positivity in Prague
By Joanna Yip
Coming to Prague, I was excited to have invaluable experiences and to be able to make new friends outside of New York. The first few days were blissful – everyone was so nice and welcoming, so eager to get to know each other, and we shared the same enthusiasm. The students all signed up for the tours NYU Prague was holding, excited to see places like the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. In late January when we arrived, Prague was definitely not Amalfi Coast weather. It was cold, always overcast and very windy. On the day of the “Best of Prague Tour,” I was ironically not feeling my very best. I assumed it was sniffles and a dry cough because of my constant being in the cold and not taking proper care of my health. Nevertheless, I went back to the dorms later that evening and used a self-test kit for Covid: the result was positive.
My immediate reaction was a mix of shock, disbelief and fear. I was shocked and in disbelief that I had managed to get covid my first week here and thought that perhaps I got it from my flight (yes, this was not even a full week since my arrival). Then fear came because I had just begun making friends, and I felt extremely anxious that everyone would distance themselves (social distance!) from me, and equate me to being the “covid girl” who made nearly half the dorm quarantine. At this point, NYU’s quarantine rules required everyone on close contact lists to quarantine for five days, regardless of being asymptomatic or not. I knew I couldn’t be the only positive person considering everyone in the dorms were hanging out during the first few days – and I was right. I had one other person join me, and after 2 days of us quarantining we had another member join the club. On our second to last day of quarantine, our little covid club doubled in size.
During the five days I was quarantining, my fellow quarantiners and I bonded and made the most of our situation. I could at least now share my frustrations with them, knowing they can relate to some extent as well. We had really gotten to know each other and grew to be more comfortable around one another to the point where I felt I could voice my sadness about missing Chinese New Year traditions with my family (CNY Eve happened while I was in quarantine). One of my friends went so far as to encourage me to celebrate by placing clementines on each of our bedsides, just as my mom does at home during Chinese New Year. This was the most prominent, but most definitely not the only act of kindness and support spread during the time we were ridden with covid.
Despite my very present anxiety and fear that I would come out of quarantine with no friends or anyone to talk to, the outcomes were quite the opposite. I now felt so much closer to those I spent most of quarantine with and grew a deeper appreciation for that time we spent together. Albeit I wasn’t feeling the greatest and did have covid, my new friends helped me to rationalize that it was bound to happen at some point. My initial fears were calmed by the shared understanding that we were all struggling in one way or another, which fostered lots of bonding. Although I went into quarantine terrified I would lose what I had built in the first few days, I left it with a newfound sense of comfort and gratefulness – positive, one may say.
Part 2: Bonding in Apartment 10
By Andrés Quiroga-Elizondo
Getting COVID during my second week abroad was something I never expected when I arrived in Prague. On my first Wednesday here, I got off class at 1:20 and undoubtedly had one of the best days I’ve had in Prague. A couple of friends and I went to lunch at a restaurant in Old Town Square and followed it with a trip to Charles Bridge. My first outing in Prague was matched with beautiful, picturesque scenery and great new friends. After the first week jitters, it was the perfect way to end the school week and feel at home in a place so far from New York.
But the following day, I received the unfortunate news that Joanna, a friend I had spent the entire previous day with, had tested positive for COVID. As a close contact, I immediately knew I had to be safe moving forward. I would have to quarantine for 5 days, but at least a negative antigen test sent me to bed relieved that night. However, two days later, a scratchy throat led me to ask for another test and regrettably, it came out positive.
Already having been quarantined for two full days, my positive test result extended my quarantine for another five days, not counting the day I tested positive. So all in all, I had to spend 8 days stuck inside the dorm. As soon as I saw the second red line come through, I masked up and joined Joanna and Naty, who had also tested positive, in apartment ten of Machova, or as we’ve come to know it– the COVID dorm.
Every night, the three of us became closer. Sharing a room between the three of us, we really had no choice but to bond over our shared experience. Eating ordered food, joining online classes and writing cover letters together was way more fun than I could’ve expected.
I entered quarantine with the worry that I would miss out on orientation walking tours, getting to know Prague, and making new friends on the weeks when it mattered most. However, being quarantined with Naty and Joanna turned out to be one of the best bonding experiences, and now I’m happy to call them two of my best friends here. They made the extended stay feel like an overnight summer camp and I completely forgot I had COVID and was missing out on orientation. I left quarantine on Friday night COVID-free and with two best friends that I hang out with on a daily basis. Ultimately, and thankfully, getting COVID was a double-edged sword.