Lesley Brey

Reporter

You’re on a road trip, it’s day two of constant driving, your parents have been fighting for the last 80 miles, the air conditioning broke before the trip even started, you’re nauseous, hungry and the radio only picks up mariachi stations because you’re in the middle of Nebraska or at least what you think is Nebraska. Look, there’s a lot of corn. Anyway, it is at this point of absolute exhaustion, frustration and disillusion that your extremely annoying younger brother opens his mouth and proclaims, chest out, “Are we there yet?”

Dear readers, we may be in Nebraska metaphorically, but the good news is that soon we will be crossing state lines; the end of the pandemic is in sight. As vaccine administration kicks up a notch, soon more and more people will be safe from this plague. For many of us, it will be months before we are eligible to receive our doses, but just like the first flowers of spring poking through the melting snow, hope has arrived.

This week I reached out to students all over the Idaho State University Pocatello Campus to discover what they’re most excited about doing once COVID-19 has been contained. I found that there were three things on everyone’s mind; friends, travel and school.

“[I want to] be able to hang out with friends,” said Faith Blomquist, an ISU junior studying sign language interpretation.

Throughout our worst moments in history, humans have gained strength by banding together with our fellow man and facing our tragedies head-on. COVID-19 challenged us in the most excruciating way by preventing us from seeking comfort in one another. Still, we endured. We limited our social circle. We postponed family gatherings. We did what is most against our nature for the safety of strangers. With the light at the end of the tunnel, surely all of us are looking forward to reconnecting with our friends.

“To hang out with friends, like every weekend, just hanging out with different people. Right now I can’t really do that, which sucks, cause I have a lot of different types of friends that I like to hang out with,” said Anna Jirik, an ISU sophomore studying biology.

“I want to be able to hang out with my friends more. I’ve been able to do that kind of, but you know it’s always been spaced apart. I want to have big groups of people again, instead of just three or four [people]. To just be able to go out and not have to worry about masks or how many people there are; like it was before!” said Justin Lance, an ISU freshman studying nuclear engineering.

Students were also excited at the prospect of travel. Whether it’s part of an adventure or just a reunion with family, (although I would argue that interacting with extended family is also adventurous) students have stayed strong through this adversity by planning their trips and biding their time. Even for introverts and homebodies, many of us didn’t realize how nice the ability to travel was until we were forced to give it up.

“I want to travel. I want to get out of Idaho!” said Rebecca Moyle, an ISU sophomore studying social work.

“What I want to do, once COVID-19 is over is I want to travel a little bit cause we haven’t really been able to do that and to not have to wear a mask anymore,” said Ashley Rumble, an ISU technical program student studying pipe welding and fitting.

“My brother got married in May, and it was awesome. It was a beautiful wedding even though it was weird. We had to have less than 20 people, so it was super restricted. I’m looking forward to when we can redo the ceremony and have the reception, with all the guests,” said Lynnea Dale, an ISU junior studying management and accounting.

For many students, COVID-19 has not only prevented them from doing what they want to do, but it has also radically changed their college experience. Many freshmen didn’t have the opportunity to have a high school graduation, and now their first experience of the campus is when it’s at its most quiet and demure. In a way, it feels like a perpetual winter break; no games, no on-campus food, no clubs and no students. Many students are looking forward to when campus can return to normal.

“[I want to] be in larger groups, getting the social aspect of college because I’m a freshman, and I’ve never really experienced, you know, what college life is like. I think that hanging out with more people, getting to know people outside of the sports world would be really awesome once COVID-19 is over,” said Aisley Allen, an ISU freshman soccer player who is studying exercise science.

“I would very much enjoy being able to go back outside, do some more fun stuff. Really, just not having to wear a mask everywhere, and see a lot more of the campus open up, do more with clubs,” said Caiden Ash, an ISU technical program student studying airplane mechanics.

“I want to keep going to school, maybe get a job. I’m looking forward to not having to wear masks all the time,” said Kobe Sittig, an ISU sophomore studying exercise science.

“What I’d like to do the most is go back to football games and big group events, sporting events. I think that’s really what I’m just missing in this college experience,” said John Swatzk, an ISU freshman studying nursing.

For me personally? I have often reflected on what I want to do once life has returned to normal. Going out to bars is pretty close to the top of my list, but I’m also looking forward to traveling across the country (in a plane, not a car) to visit my grandmother in Michigan who I haven’t seen since December 2018. I’m looking forward to concerts, to eating out, to those large and sweaty summer crowds I once despised. I’m looking forward to being human.