These past few weeks have been extremely hectic and surreal. I had just finished my grad auditions and was taking some time off from everything only to have the Corona-virus break out in New York.
I've been monitoring COVID-19 ever since it broke out in Wuhan, China back in December and even predicted when it would break out in the states. What I didn't expect was the severe incompetency of the government in the face of a pandemic. Even now president trump denies responsibility regarding the severity of the outbreak. I sincerely fear for the well-being of many of my colleagues and mentors who are unable to run from red zones.
Juilliard sent out an email last week cancelling all performances and actives for the rest of the school year. The rest of my classes and private lessons will be taught online through zoom so I decided to head back home to LA to be with my family.
Staying in New York was too dangerous and the risk of being quarantined in my small apartment for the foreseeable future was not ideal. I choose an early morning flight to avoid as much human contact as possible and made my way to JFK.
Going through JFK was a little unsettling. It was fairly empty and getting through TSA was quite quick. The lack of awareness from most of the people at the airport regarding sanitation and public health was demoralizing and I realized that the outbreak in NY will be rather hard to contain.
The only mask that I had at the time
My flight from JFK to LAX was barely filled with every boarding group being called at once due to the lack of passengers.
catching the rising sun on my way out of NY
After arriving in LA, my family and I decided to quarantine me in a RV for two weeks as a precaution. I don't think I'm carrying the virus but better safe than sorry especially since my parents live with my grandparents.
my home for the next two weeks
This wasn't how I envisioned spending the rest of my semester but I don't mind starting my summer break a few months early. This also gives me time to completely reset and to work on some personal projects that I've been thinking about.