‘For me, this really is social isolation. I live alone in an apartment in Twekkelerveld, a stone's throw from the campus. Occasionally it feels very lonely, but the UT is helping me out with that these days. I'm now in the last week of exams and I'm also a student assistant, so I’m way too busy to feel that lonely. As a student you don't really stick to office hours, but I try not to stay glued to my laptop. I remind myself to take a long walk every day around 4pm. And last weekend my parents came by and we went for a bike ride together. Luckily the rules in the Netherlands allow for activities like that.’
‘With friends, I also try to make the best of the situation. We play online games like Pictionary while videocalling. Or we exercise and videocall at the same time, so it still feels like you're working out together. But I notice that being together physically is more than just talking. I do miss that: visiting each other, engage in activities together or spontaneously giving each other a hug. Even though we are in this situation for a couple of weeks, it’s still weird. In the supermarket I see people looking at each other suspiciously, while there are also a lot of people walking on the street who seem to ignore the rules. People still don't really know how to deal with the situation. I especially hope that when we get out of this, we will be able to take the positive with us. Since I have to do everything digitally these days, I notice that everyone is forced to come up with creative solutions. Let's stick to creativity after this crisis.’
