Quarantine: Ramblings from the First Day of Isolation

Liz Foster ’22

Managing Editor

Prior to my return to school, I often mused with my friends that a COVID-19 outbreak was inevitable. At the very least, there would have to be a plethora of scares and subsequently students in quarantine. Little did I think that I would be a part of what Dean DiChristina called a “small number of students” who are now in quarantine for the next two weeks due to potentially being infected with COVID-19. However, I’d like to take advantage of this situation to transparently show the student body what their quarantine could potentially look like. 

For fourteen days, I have to sit in my bedroom. I’m permitted to leave only to pick up meals and get tested for COVID-19. As of now, I’ve tested negative for the virus, but who knows what the next four tests have awaiting for me! My time in quarantine could be worse. As of now, I’ve presented no symptoms and am not really living alone. Granted, my interactions with my roommates consist of sitting in my door frame while wearing a mask and yelling out to the common room, but it’s the little things in life that we have to treasure. 

Before I dive into the technicalities of this experience, I’d like to take a moment to give readers a long-awaited gift: a Liz Foster food review. Unlike other schools like NYU, students who are in quarantine can still leave the dorm to go pick up their meals. Between the hours of 12:20-12:50 and 5:20-6:00, quarantined students are served. Instead of going into Mather or the Bistro, students meet near a small tent behind Mather. There aren’t any signs or indications that this is a place for people to acquire food, but a kind lady presented me with a bag and a to-go box, not unlike the normal ones in Mather. Now, I’m not going to pretend like I am not a cafeteria food snob. I’ve made it a point to address how few times I’ve been to Mather in the past two years at Trinity in many conversations, so the bar was already very low for me. My primary meal was chicken, rice, and mysterious vegetables. The chicken and rice were both lacking in flavor and the former had a bizarre texture. Given that I also had no knife, and only a spork, eating a chunk of meat proved difficult. I also received a banana that was already turning brown when I went to eat it a few hours later and an orange that I could not open, but this may be a product of my own physical incapabilities rather than a result of the fruit itself. The oatmeal raisin cookies looked totally fine, but I’m not big on raisins! For dinner, I had a stronger plate of chicken (shout out to that glaze!) and a bit more flavorful rice and veggies. I didn’t finish it because something about the rice texture was off-putting, but I had a nice pre-packaged brownie to wash it all down. The free water bottles have been making it worth it. 

My classes remain largely unaffected because we’re already going to Zoom University. If I actually get sick, who knows what’s going to happen. I have homework sitting before me, but all that’s on my mind is watching The Lighthouse as I’m about to become Robert Pattinson. In my time in quarantine, I hope to develop new skills and improve my wellbeing. However, it’s only day one and I’ve failed to learn the skill I committed to: making paper planes. If anyone has any advice on crafting notebook fighter jets, let a girl know. As of now, all I can do is sit wistfully in my Jarvis suite, staring down at the people below me on the quad who frolic in freedom. Enjoy it while it lasts, Bantams.