Terence lucky to get out of Spain before lockdown implemented
AS European countries went into lockdown all around him, one young Gorey student who has been studying in Madrid this year was lucky to make it back to Ireland to his family and now faces in to the reality of living in self isolation.
Terence Rooney (21) from Gorey studies at Dublin City University, and his course in Global Business is a dual degree that requires two years of study at home and two years abroad.
This means that Terence will presumably have to return to Spain at some point in the future to finish out his studies, which is something he is looking ahead to as he speaks to us from his self isolation quarters: his family home.
This turn of events began for the young man just when his university shut its doors at the start of the week, on a Monday evening.
‘On Monday evening when college was cancelled, at first we all thought it’d be a celebration in no more studying. In our big group of friends, we were all chilling out in the nice weather enjoying being outdoors, we were having a great time. We thought this would continue.
‘But as the days went on, it gradually got a bit more serious. Our group of Irish people were dropping like flies. The girls started it when my friend was the first to get a flight on Wednesday, and by Thursday and Friday we had all booked to go home. I flew home on Friday and it felt like we all got the last two or three flights out from Madrid.
‘You could tell that people were trying to keep calm about it but there was a lot of panic and uncertainty and people were freaking out on the inside but everyone went on with it. I’m glad now we were together as a group. We come from DCU, UCD, Trinity, UL and one of our friends is Scottish. It’s strange to think that those of my friends who were on Erasmus, who had only been in Spain for six or eight weeks, I might not see them in college again next year as they won’t be going back.
‘All of our classes, seminars and exams have moved online. The teachers have been faciliating things in terms of classes and assignments and trying to give us as much to do as possible, but they weren’t prepared for this either. We were supposed to have our exams in May but we aren’t sure if they will go ahead. Teachers are taking it day by day, thinking we might be back after Easter, but there’s no promise of that happening’.
Terence said that he is keeping in touch with his friends online, using Facetime and social media networks and that everyone is trying their best to keep their cool as they stick it out in social isolation.
‘Only a handful of people are still over there now, some are working there. Here I have things to do, I’m not bored. It’s more the idea of being trapped that irritates me when there are hundreds of things I could be doing. But this is what it’s going to be like. I’ve my college work, TV, playstation and Netflix, my own hobbies. I’m hoping to get involved with some online projects. But honestly, I’m settling in and I’m happy to be home. This is the best scenario’.
Terence hopes that other young people will take heed of the warnings and learn from his own experience.
‘To those my age thinking of having house parties or going out socialising, I’m coming from a hotspot. I’ve seen it for myself for the last two weeks at least and all I can say is just get indoors.
‘In terms of the virus, I’m not afraid of getting it. Everyone my age is going to be able to manage it if we do, but if we keep mixing it has the potential to kill one of our grandparents or someone who has an underlying health condition, it’s not worth it’.
It’s clear that getting Terence back home involved some sacrifices too, with his accommodation lease not up until August.
‘I want to see how it goes and whether things calm down. We will keep the lease until the end of the month at least but we might have to cancel it with our landlord.
‘I still have stuff in the apartment but I took home everything I really needed, I don’t mind if we’ve to leave it.
‘The way I see it now, the quicker we all get inside, the quicker it’s all over and has less of an impact on jobs, our health system, the economy. We are all in this together, we just need to accept that and we’ll be so glad when it’s over’.
I’M COMING FROM A HOTSPOT, I’VE SEEN IT FOR MYSELF FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS AT LEAST AND ALL I CAN SAY IS JUST GET INDOORS.