Q&A: Colorado Spring Break travel experience

Senior Styopa Zharkov, Colorado

Brianna Carmack, Entertainment

Did you experience any changes throughout the trip that were related to COVID-19?

Of course. There’s a general loss of trust in other people — not saying that’s a bad thing right now. In restaurants, guests brought their own wipes and wiped the dishes before they ate. There were skeptical looks towards any public workers. Plus, of course, there are many cancelations. I hoped to play some volleyball there but they canceled it. My flight to Stanford for the admit weekend also got canceled. I guess this isn’t exclusive to Colorado. However, all of this is overshadowed by the cancelation of school.

 

What were your thoughts when you found out how much of an impact the virus has made?

I think part of me is sad at how many activities we will be missing out on, but another part is amazed at how vulnerable our world is.

 

Can you elaborate more on how you feel amazed at the world’s vulnerable state?

Just the fact that we as a planet were unprepared to fight against something as simple as a disease.

 

Were you concerned about going to Colorado knowing that the COVID-19 was spreading?

Yeah, but I didn’t think I expected the school to close so fast. Kansas is the first state to do so.

 

How do you feel now knowing that the virus has escalated even further, which has canceled the rest of the semester for all school buildings in Kansas?

While it may seem despairing, I think that we can figure out how to keep ourselves sane. The most difficult part of this will be to make sure all of us students keep learning in some way or another.