Germany

Being happy that all of your friends are vaccinated

I feel like the pandemic has divided many people and groups of people all over the world – or maybe the pandemic has just shown us the differences in possible ways of thinking. I feel like many people in general have become strange during the pandemic, but no wonder: interaction between people happens through conversation and not only hearing words coming from behind a mask (even though is without a doubt absolutely neccessary). I do social-distancing, but I am really happy to only have friends who are also vaccinated. Read more

When the thought of your father gasping for oxygen will never leave your mind

I study in Germany, work in Switzerland and live in France. This dynamism of my student life hopping from one city to another to do internships and work has made me witness the coronavirus situation in many countries. My parents are COVID survivors and the doctors who took care of them under such overwhelming conditions in the hospitals are the true heroes of this crisis for me. My work colleague in the US posted on Twitter to help my father find a hospital bed in India, I had to cancel a career talk in London, and they supported me through these challenging times. Seeing people harness the good side of social media to help each other across the globe touched me a lot. Read more

Hoping to spend Christmas with your family in Finland

I realized the seriousness of the situation when schools and kindergartens were closed. An alarming sign was also when different countries began to close their borders, especially in Europe, where citizens have been able to move very freely from one country to another. My family lives in Finland. It’s been hard not knowing when you can visit your family next time. Read more

Bye bye koalas and kangaroos: About the challenge to get a ticket to leave Australia

Due to Covid19, I had to abort my semester abroad in Australia after a two-month stay and fly back to Germany. This decision was very difficult for me. Soon there was only one airline left to leave Australia with, but the seats were quickly booked up and very expensive. The German government sent Corona aid flights, but this was of no help to me as single travelers were not allowed to travel with the aid aircraft and there was no support at all. Read more

Hats off to the government and keeping up the good spirit

My family and myself in all this are doing fairly well. There has been no case in my family. I have not been out of work, neither has my partner and my dad who owes a bar is working more than before. Also my sisters (one in pharmaceutical industry the other as a nurse) are working and are well off. In our little “cosmos” we do not see any downsides so far apart from uncertainty and fear of what is still to come (fingers crossed). Read more

Worrying that the social divide will grow deeper

I´m afraid that the social divide will grow deeper and populists will take advantage of the situation. The atmosphere in Germany changed from great willingness to help in the beginning to demonstrations and protests. On the one hand, Corona is the government’s finest hour. On the other, it’s that of the populists. Read more