by Umar Sultan Kahloon, Staff Writer
On the first day, I spent 10 minutes trying to find the right entrance. The gym entrance had a guard who told me from the tinted glass doors to wait until the exact time the class starts, before they let me in. I was feeling on edge about all the safety precautions we have to follow, and this really kindled the feeling of a new reality.
Once I was allowed to enter, got my temperature checked and filled a symptom evaluation form, I was guided towards my classroom by the public safety officers standing at every turn.
Being back on campus felt like walking through a museum reminiscing about life before the pandemic . Going back after so long brought up a spectrum of feelings and inclinations about attending class in person.
I was expecting there to be few people, but had no idea that my class would be the only one being held at the time in the entire building.
The professor tried his best to make our first day as exciting as possible, while being very professional and safe. All in all, it still felt like something was missing.
Everyone I came across felt on edge about some underlying fear, and being in the same boat brought a feeling of extra compassion towards each other.
Still, there is very little social connection even with in-person classes. Being in class felt cold, and more or less the same as being at home learning remotely; the only difference that I felt was that I was not looking at a screen.
I understand the seriousness of the pandemic and the safety precautions needed; still, I feel things could be better if there were at least one place open on campus, even just a place to sit in between classes. It would give a greater sense of normalcy to the on-campus experience.
