Trick or treat
Coronavirus is resurging just in time to treat us to a Halloween nightmare. As if exams weren’t already stalking up behind us like a masked killer. Just like in a horror movie, things are starting to disappear without explanation. I haven’t seen a classmate in weeks, and is it just me, or are an awful lot of businesses closed now too?
Just as I felt like I was starting to settle into a life with a lot less to do, I’ve found myself seeing the things I enjoy disappearing again. I always enjoy a trip to a bar to meet a few friends and, even if they close at 10 p.m. and there could only be four of us, it was nice to see everyone. The best horrors give you a little bit of hope somewhere in the middle.
I was even starting to think I might manage to escape a little bit, maybe even get a little in-person lecture. What a fool I was. That’s a good lesson that can be picked up in any horror film: don’t get your hopes up, it could be fatal.
The ones who survive in horror films are the ones who accept their new reality and adapt
The ones who survive in these films, at least the ones who do so most regularly, are the ones who accept their new reality and adapt. So, like so many characters I’ve watched on TV, I’m hoping I wake up from this nightmare while I realise it’s reality. I’m just at the part where I’m hiding inside wondering what to do next; but I have a laptop and a dissertation to write.
Now, maybe I’m wrong here and things will calm down this week and measures can relax. But I can’t remember a time the killer decided to just go home and leave everyone alone. So, in all likelihood, Covid-19 is going to be around for a while longer and the restrictions will creep up along with it.
So what can I do? Well, cycling is good cardio and the library is still open. Staying ahead of your colleagues is just as essential in university as it is in a horror flick, so both of those should help with that. Apparently, when you’re frightened, your pupils dilate, allowing you to take in more information, which might come in handy for studying.
I’m just hoping I don’t get a scare at exams.