Lockdown stories
Lina Baaziz, is a student from the University of Frères Mentouri Constantine 1 in Algeria. This year she is studying English Studies at the University of Murcia under the framework of the Programme Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility.
Lina would like to share his experience with the lockdown in Murcia caused by the COVID-19.
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If I was told last year around this time that I would be stuck in Spain in the midst of a global pandemic during my Erasmus, I would have been horrified, quit the Erasmus credit mobility program and hid under the covers of my bed. When the lockdown started, many of us were uncertain of what is going to happen, so some Erasmus students left to stay with their families, and some stayed. I was among the ones who chose to stay. At first, like everyone I was skeptical. I did not know how long it’s going to last or how it’s going to be, especially that finding information about the lockdown was especially difficult since my Spanish was very limited; however, five hundred La Verdad COVID-19 articles later, my Spanish level improved. Life slowed down a little a bit, every day was online courses which were surprisingly fun especially Dr. Walton’s Cultural studies class and Martinez’s English for specific purposes class. Almost all the professors were considerate, caring and made sure we did not lose hope or focus. After classes, I would spend the rest of day either making Algerian food for my roommates or painting. I looked forward to eight PM every day to see my neighbours and make friends with them. After few weeks into the lockdown, my spirits were going down. I felt like I needed some structure in this chaos, so I decided along with my roommates, who are themselves international students in Murcia, to make a pandemic plan with activities every day from zoom calls with the friends that we made in Spain to karaoke nights.
During these past few months, My Erasmus changed from a cultural exchange to a spiritual journey. This pandemic taught me not to take things for granted, to appreciate everything even that five-minute walk to Mercadona, or that trip to “Correos” to send my sister a postcard; It taught me to take in all the small boulevards and passages in Murcia and inhale all the Murcian air I can get because life is too short to take anything for granted. It taught me to how to connect with my professors and classmates on a more personal and caring level. To think of this as a time to reflect and take a break from the daily hustles of life. After the crisis, I plan to travel more, to come back to Spain on family trip, to smile more at people in the streets because I do not have a mask on, and they can actually see it! But most importantly I plan to write a book about this. I realize no number of words can contain the beauty of southern Spain or the warmth of its people, but it would be an absolute shame for my people back home to not hear its story.
Lina Baaziz
