How Covid-19 came to ruin Erasmus student’s lifes
Since Friday 16 October stricter corona measures in the Flemish region of Belgium have been added to an already complicated and restricted daily life situation. The Belgian government has decided to take necessary measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Measures that prevent people from getting sick and infecting other people. But also measures that feel like another lockdown, not in the least for the Erasmus students in the country.
2020 is a complicated year and it is not over yet… Indeed, since march 2020 our lives have been totally turned upside down by the Covid-19 virus and all that it engenders on a daily basis. It is a global problem that affects everyone, but above all, it has a detrimental effect on school-age youngsters.
Stolen youth
These days, the population is facing a feeling of incomprehension and anger and for students it’s even more complicated. How can they follow a normal schooling and have a normal life in this strange and complicated period? Most students feel that their youth is being stolen from them. That the covid is there to take away their student years.
The new measures in Flanders concerning education are far from joyful… As in Wallonia and Brussels, higher education in Flanders has been placed under a code red. This means that face-to-face teaching will no longer be the norm. Flemish universities and colleges must now arrange to organise their courses at a distance.
The impact of the covid and the new measures on Erasmus students is therefore unfortunately significant. As the French president said: “It’s difficult to be 20 in 2020.” Sad reality… It’s really not the right year to do an Erasmus. However, some students did nevertheless decide to take the chance and not let the covid spoil their academic years.
Isolation and loneliness
Students are tired of all these strict measures… Taking an online course is not an easy task and if you add isolation, loneliness, lack of contact, fatigue and stress to the daily routine you get a really discouraging and depressing mix.
What are we supposed to do when hope turns to despair? This is the question that many young people are asking themselves today.
Mental health
Roxanne Josse, an Erasmus student for her 3rd year, shares her opinion on the current situation: “Sometimes you feel more constrained than protected by these new measurements. But I also think that they are necessary and that we have to think about them intensively. If one of my relatives were to end up in intensive care, I would like measures that are twice as restrictive.”
Roxanne does not easily find a balance. But as a student, she has the impression that she’s being prevented from living her life and that part of her youth is being wasted… “I have alternating online courses, and I have to admit that it’s a bit of a hassle to meet people and really practice the language. In addition, all leisure activities are closed, so I can’t meet people anywhere else. I could have made the choice to postpone Erasmus to the second semester and I hesitated for a long time. Finally I decided to go to Q1 but with hindsight and the situation getting worse, I am starting to regret my choice.”
Another Erasmus student in Belgium, Noémie LaRocca, realizes that she does her Erasmus in the wrong year: “Because of Covid, we are not fully enjoying the Erasmus as students in previous years. Moreover, following online courses does not help to make more friends and to build relations with people from class.”
Andrei Mayer is concerned about the impact of the Covid-19 virus on the mental health of students: “From my point of view, I find that there is too little interest in mental health and how it can really affect a person. Sometimes you feel sad about the situation and the fact that you can’t do anything about it… You get stuck in a vicious circle of negative thoughts and it’s bad for a person’s morale…”
Keeping in touch
Brigitte Luyten, departmental co-ordinator of international relations at PXL Media and Tourism in Hasselt, is concerned about the situation of her exchange students: “All these students made a brave decision, because it was really not a good time to do a university exchange. Keeping in touch with them and communicating frequently by email or phone is very important at this time. We are doing our utmost to help them through this difficult and complicated period.”
Nevertheless, this complicated period makes us think about many things. The real problematic about education nowadays is whether we are ready to sacrifice an entire young generation for a virus that we cannot control. What a mentality!
