{"id":211267,"date":"2020-03-31T14:24:19","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T18:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=211267"},"modified":"2020-04-01T11:22:56","modified_gmt":"2020-04-01T15:22:56","slug":"adapting-to-a-world-changed-while-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2020\/03\/31\/adapting-to-a-world-changed-while-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"Adapting to a World Changed While Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the natural wonders of Charles Darwin\u2019s lab on the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands, biology students and faculty from 精品成人福利在线 University, who had left for one of the world\u2019s most remote locations before travel was restricted, were mostly unaware of how the rest of the world was reacting to the growing spread of coronavirus. During their \u201conce-in-a-lifetime\u201d research opportunity, the world beyond was quickly changing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was little connectivity and you absolutely do not have CNN or the BBC coming through your TV in the hotel,\u201d recalls Associate Professor of Biology Jennifer Krumins, who co-led the spring break research trip in early-to-mid March.<\/p>\n

But the \u201csnippets\u201d of information the group received was enough to know the COVID-19 was getting bad. \u201cWe were all very aware that we were hidden away and we were silently tense about how we were going to get back,\u201d says Krumins, who was relieved when they all returned home safe and coronavirus-free.<\/p>\n

The group was among dozens of 精品成人福利在线 students and faculty abroad when the spread of the coronavirus accelerated around the world. The outbreak overshadowed spring break adventures and cut short study abroad programs, including that of junior Public Health major Justin Inigo, who was studying in London.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoronavirus was always the topic of conversation, in and out of the classroom,\u201d Inigo says. \u201cWe always joked about being sent home because of it, but I don\u2019t think any of us actually thought it would happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kia Sabo recalls the middle-of-the-night reaction in Prague when a European travel ban was announced by President Trump: \u201cMy friends went into panic mode, crying at the tram stop and repeating the phrase, \u2018This was not supposed to happen.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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Kia Sabo was among study abroad students whose trips were cut short by the coronavirus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oasis Before the Storm<\/h2>\n

The Gal\u00e1pagos Islands are \u201ca giant classroom for ecology and evolution, for geology and oceanography and sustainability,\u201d says Krumins, a specialist in microbial ecology and biodiversity. She organized the trip with Professor Paul Bologna, a marine ecologist, to make connections with the Charles Darwin Research Station for future education and scientific trips.<\/p>\n

They traveled with 11 students, a mix of graduate and undergraduates studying biology. \u201cWe were snorkeling one day off the side of an island with sea turtles, seals and sharks, and the most amazing fish you’ve ever seen. Then, plastic garbage floats by,\u201d Krumins recalls.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives you this view of even where you think you’re in this pristine, preserved place, you see human impacts. It was a major learning experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Associate Professor Jennifer Krumins with students, from left, Katherine Palacios, Jonathon Eisenstein and Virginia Osnato.
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Six-thousand miles away in Prague, Sabo, a sophomore Business Administration major, was making the most of her time abroad, studying in cafes, shopping at local markets, walking thousands of steps each day. On weekends, she tasted the cuisine in Wroclaw, Poland (\u201cbest food, hands down\u201d), skied the Swiss Alps and was awed by the architecture in Budapest. \u201cI learned so much about community, culture and myself,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Ariana Leyton \u201917, \u201918 MS, a project coordinator for University Communications, unplugged in the Norwegian fjords, a dream vacation for someone who had studied Sustainability Science as both an undergraduate and graduate student. Leyton was unaware of the scale of the crisis until family began frantically texting about the travel ban. The news had Leyton and her traveling companions scrambling for flights home.<\/p>\n

Ariana Leyton, who graduated with degrees in Sustainability Science, and Dylan White, a senior studying Business Administration, in the Norwegian fjords.
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Back in Prague, the 24 hours after Sabo learned she had to return to the United States was a \u201ccrazy mess of emotions.\u201d She made rushed goodbyes \u201cto new friends, the wonderful city I was studying in and all the adventures that could have been.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across the globe, the biology students in the Gal\u00e1pagos returned home on some of the last flights to leave Ecuador.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had some minor travel glitches, but in the middle of all that, a minor travel glitch can be pretty scary,\u201d Krumins says. \u201cI didn’t really realize the degree to which we were sitting on pins and needles until I knew everybody was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Studying \u2018Abroad\u2019 Without Leaving the House<\/h2>\n

All students and faculty who came home from overseas had to self-isolate for 14 days. Inigo and Sabo and other students who were studying abroad are finishing their terms online and passing the time with do-it-yourself projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be quite truthful, quarantine is boring,\u201d Inigo says. \u201cRight now, I\u2019m purging my closet. I bought way too many clothes in London.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sabo is weaving a basket. \u201cMy mom also adopted another dog, so making sure the new addition is happy and mixing well is another task to keep me busy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Justin Inigo \u201cphones home\u201d from London.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

The online classes present some challenges and bright spots. \u201cWe are expected to be on real time and real time is six hours ahead, so my noon class is now at 6 a.m.,\u201d Sabo says. But there have been \u201cgreat moments where we see community and humanity emerge. In my philosophy class we have had many discussions on topics that relate back to the crazy times that we are presently in.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a favorite photo from the trip, Krumins is leaning against a rock \u201clooking professorial,\u201d while students in the background splash in a Gal\u00e1pagos waterfall. She admitted to being in a funk for a few days after returning.<\/p>\n

Then Krumins shifted gears to put her courses online and prepare for a virtual scientific meeting, adapting to this new normal, she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the same challenge we’re all going through, just completely refocusing your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren<\/a><\/p>\n