Studying remotely from Beijing was the best option for Weichen Du, academically problematic as it could be. The Australian border restriction did not allow Weichen to travel to the country, and Weichen could not find a job due to the pandemic.  Travel possibilities were also limited.

Weichen Du was attends a Zoom tutorial held by the University of Melbourne from his home in Beijing, China. Photo by Xinhui Ying

“I think the quality of teaching, and also the class, has significantly dropped down,” Du, a first-year master’s student in Marketing Communications at the University of Melbourne said.  “It is harder to understand what the professor wants on each assignment.”

At the same time, Weichen felt depressed and isolated from the rest of the class. He believed that everyone in his program felt the same way. The physical distance made him feel less close to professors and discouraged him from reaching out.

 “I tried everything to keep me busy… but my mental health still got worse because of the social distancing,” Weichen said. “I realized that interaction between people was so important for our being.You need to interact with people to keep everything moving.”

Siyi Xie, a sophomore studying Business Administration and Management at the University of Toronto, decided to do the entire academic year remotely from Vancouver. She revealed that the online learning experience was very inconvenient because of the time difference and the fact that students were not used to the instruction mode. However, she believed it would be better over time.

“My biggest fear is about how they would deliver the exams, ” Xie said. “Because people who do courses online have the opportunity to cheat. Therefore, the test they give these people will be harder than those who do the in-person exams. I am afraid of being graded unfairly because I don’t cheat although I take classes online.”

Siyi Xie takes handwriting notes at home in Vancouver, Canada for a University of Toronto course. Photo by Siyi Xie

Xie was also concerned about the safety of living on campus, and that was one of the major reasons she decided not to return to class in-person.

“Just live in close proximity to other people who you don’t know and cannot trust fully, I feel that’s a bit dangerous,” she said.

In terms of social life outside of academics, COVID-19 has made it harder for Xie to hang out with people. Most restaurants in Vancouver were closed for dine-in options. When she interacted with people online, she had to wait for responses.  Also, the tone and meaning behind the words were a bit hazier, as she could not hear or see her friends.

“If it’s just a normal school year, it will be so easy to go to class in person and actually make a few friends,” Siyi said. “So you can swap notes maybe and become study buddies. But right now, because of COVID-19 and because of online delivery, it’s hard to actually just text someone and become close with them.”

Tiankuo Jiang is a freshman in a middle school in Nanjing, China. He started his first day of class on Sept.1.

“I think except the dining, all things are just normal,” Jiang said.  “We just can’t eat together. Every student has one corner of the table, and then you put a cross-shaped plastic between students to make them separate.”

The teachers did not tell students to wear masks, but most students did. In addition, students were not required to keep a 2-meter distance.  But Jiang does not feel stressed about contracting the virus.

“I think it’s just okay, because we had very great protection before and now we don’t have many cases,” Jiang said.

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by Raz Robinson

For many of its’ participants the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon is a test of strength, but for a group of Canadian spectators it’s an opportunity to greet friends from around the globe and share in their love of running.

As the sea of runners made their way through Williamsburg, from the side of Bedford Avenue today, Tracy Spatteri and Jane Rait-Parks of Ottawa Canada frequently put their conversation on hold to bellow “Yeah Canada!” every time a participant sporting the maple leaf ran by.

Both Women made the seven-hour drive from Ottawa to support their friends and family running in the marathon.

“There’s 50,000 people running here today, the city loves it, and it’s just the best,” said Spatteri, 44. “It’s amazing, 120 countries represented, and it feels like we’re all just one big happy running family today.”

Spatteri and Rait-Parks are part of a larger international running team they helped put together after last year’s marathon. The team refers to themselves as the Dungog Dashers. They take their name from Dungog, a country town in Australia where one of the groups’ originators lives.

Spatteri clung tightly to a small open umbrella, covered in Canada’s red and white and adorned with pictures representing each nation in the group. As the pictures hanging from the sides of the umbrella become a mess of tape and paper in the wind, the groups’ wide reach became evident.

“The team is from all over, we all met at the marathon last year,” said Rait-Parks. “We’re here just cheering, and running, and supporting each other… we came back together on Facebook after last years marathon and have just continued our relationship since then.”

The Dungog Dashers, inside of the marathon, are just a microcosm of international spirit. Rait-Parks emphasized how events like the New York City marathon are good for the world.

“I think it’s pretty neat that people from around the world are all doing the same sport together. It’s good for world unity I’d say,” said Rait-Parks. “Running is the most basic sport you could ever do right? You start out in one place and you get to another place. It doesn’t take anything fancy, It’s natural. No crazy equipment’s involved, and it knows no socio-economic boundaries; and that’s why it brings people together.”

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