Memories of a COVID-free Life

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

By David Ma

COVID-19 is sweeping across the U.S., leaving unprecedented precautionary measures in its wake, including the closure of our very own University. With the nation being fundamentally transformed, only now do I realize how many things I’ve taken for granted. Although I’m still on campus, it feels like a shell of its former self.

I miss the Recwell.

I miss the simple act of walking to and from campus. I used to listen to music or podcasts on my walks between classes, giving myself ten minute pockets of time where I could just focus on the present. But nowadays the news is almost exclusively about COVID-19, and that gets tiring after a while.

I miss the libraries (even if Biomed supposedly has rats).

Believe it or not, I almost miss my 8 a.m. discussions. We were tired, but at least we were unified by sleepiness.

I miss going to Burger King at 2 a.m. and getting two bacon cheeseburgers, a small fry, and a drink for just $3.99 plus tax. And no, I wasn’t paid to write this.

I miss being able to walk outside without wondering if others see me as a danger.

Above all, I miss the human connection in its purest form. It’s simply not the same to talk to others with their voices distorted by fluctuating wifi, when their faces are pixelated facsimiles. I miss running into acquaintances between classes or dapping up a friend as they pass me by. 

At the end of the day, the University of Minnesota is defined by its community, and I miss the days before we were forcibly fragmented. The simple act of human interaction is something that almost everyone takes for granted, and only now do I truly understand that it is important beyond measure.