Interview by Cheyenne Boone

Photos by Megan Harton

Megan Harton is a Sophomore majoring in Visual Media and was studying abroad in Florence, Italy during the outbreak of COVID-19.

When and how did you first learn about COVID-19?

I actually first got an email from RIT study abroad; I think a couple days before I left saying that this happened in China. It was one of the first cases and we just kind of looked at the emails, like, whatever, delete it because I didn’t think it was going to be that big of a deal…. You didn’t really hear about it until the last couple of weeks when there were some cases in Rome. So, it wasn’t really on our radar for the first three weeks we were there, it was more the last week that it was like continually getting worse.

Were you seeing changes in the community? If so, how or in what ways?

A lot of people in Florence were just like, it’s nothing, nothing is going to happen to us. Stuff like this kind of occurs all the time and never comes to Florence, so you’re fine. Our program was a little bit more hesitant about stuff we had planned, but like activities and excursions that were in the cost of the program, those started getting canceled due to the pandemic.

One major thing was all the masks and all hand sanitizer around Florence was gone. There were a bunch of pharmacies that I would try to go to the get hand sanitizer, get a mask just in case and they would have a sign outside saying we don’t have masks, we don’t have hand sanitizer. I was trying to get a hand sanitizer and a mask just in case and one day I went to seven different pharmacies before I found one. It was just gone. Everything was gone. One of the crazy things was I got home and about three days later Italy was in lockdown. So, it was freaky.

How did you make the decision to come home? 

It wasn’t really until we got the email saying whether or not to decide to go home, because originally they gave us the option, but then two days later they’re like nope everyone’s being sent home. So, in the end everyone was sent home. It wasn’t really that big of a choice at that part. But in the moment, we both got the email, and we were both like, oh, we’re staying no problem. Like, we’re gonna be fine and then the next day was when we talked to our parents. That’s when I kind of started getting a lot more concerned about it and just freaked out in a sense, because everything was just so unknown at that point. 

I’m not a big person on uncertainty, I don’t like not knowing. So, at that point it was just kind of wasn’t right if we’re just scared to walk around and being near people. People would cough and everyone in a plaza would just turn in that person’s way, and so just that nervousness it wasn’t right. I didn’t want to walk around feeling nervous. So, I felt it was the right decision to go home No matter how sad that was because Florence is always there. 

What was your experience like coming home? 

I landed in Boston and all they asked me was, where were you coming from? How long were you there? And then were you feeling sick at any point in time? And if you answer no that you’re fine, you were allowed to go. There wasn’t any quarantine or screening process or taking your temperature. It was just those questions and then you’re on your way. Which was interesting. I thought there would be a little bit more.

Did you quarantine? If so, where and with whom?

After got off the plane, my parents actually picked me up and we drove back home. And then I was in self-quarantine for 14 days. I couldn’t really leave the house at all. I just kind of sat and watched TV, worked out a couple of times and did homework. I didn’t do much for those days and if I did go for a run or something or do some other workout outside, I made sure to really stay away from people just in case I had it because you just you don’t know about the symptoms…. the first week I was checking my temperature twice a day to make sure because that’s what they recommend. My grandparents live in the same town and I didn’t see them for two weeks just because of possible symptoms. So, I was just being cautious about that. It’s kind of funny thinking back being like, oh my God, please just get me out of this house.

How did you cope with coming home and quarantine?

The first couple of days were just kind of sad because you think about it and even now every so often I get notifications on my phone being like, oh, trip to blah, blah, blah this weekend, and the first couple of days were kind of sad. I was kind of just moping around the house. So, I would watch TV and then other things. I started trying baking, I’m not a baker so I was just like, you know what, why not give it a shot. So, I started baking a little bit to pass time. I started doing yoga because I didn’t like it before. So, I was like, why not try it? I tried to find new things to do just to keep myself busy.

How did your family feel throughout everything?

They admit they wanted me home like they gave me the choice, well, kind of, whether I wanted to stay or not, but they definitely wanted me home. They can’t really help if I get sick in lockdown in Italy. So, they were very nervous in the beginning. Now they’re kind of relieved that I’m home. It’s kind of nice because we actually spend a lot more time together as a family where normally I wouldn’t be home at this time. I wouldn’t spend Easter with my family, or my birthdays is in March, so I don’t always have my birthday with them. So, it was kind of nice to see them for those little celebrations. They’re loving it right now, just being with us. I love RIT, like absolutely love it, but you don’t really know how much you miss home until you come back and you’re just like, wow, I do miss it here.