{"id":111476,"date":"2020-03-25T12:52:45","date_gmt":"2020-03-25T11:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=111476"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:51","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:51","slug":"these-international-students-fled-from-the-netherlands-half-of-my-stuff-is-still-in-the-apartment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/03\/25\/these-international-students-fled-from-the-netherlands-half-of-my-stuff-is-still-in-the-apartment\/","title":{"rendered":"These international students fled from the Netherlands: \u2018Half of my stuff is still in the apartment\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The university has closed for more than a week and most courses and exams take place online because of the coronavirus measures. Many international students decided to fly back home, before facing closed borders or cancelled flights. Even if that means being quarantined for two weeks before reuniting with family.<\/p>\n

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A face mask outside of a student house in Rotterdam<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMilena Chopova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Nick (Chengfan Zhao) was doing a pre-master in Media Studies in Rotterdam, but decided last week to return to his hometown Wenzhou in China. \u201cWhen I saw the virus reaching Europe, I got very scared of getting stuck in quarantine in the Netherlands. I live alone, and my family back home was worried about me. But I also knew that if I went back to China, I had to be quarantined and lose my freedom for two weeks.\u201d After an anxious night and a phone call with his sister, he decided to pay for an expensive last-minute ticket home.<\/p>\n

Quarantine<\/h2>

Getting back home, however, was not easy. It was rumored that some countries would refuse Chinese citizens to transit at their airports. In a total of 50 hours, Nick eventually managed to arrive in Shanghai, having layovers in Helsinki and Singapore. Upon arrival, he had to wait five hours for the government to conduct their first health examinations. Another ten-hour bus ride eventually took him to a hotel in his home province Zhejiang, where he is still in quarantine for a total of 14 days.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that I\u2019m home, all coordination is done through the provincial government. Because the Netherlands is considered a high-risk country, I was not allowed to self-quarantine at home.\u201d Twice a day, doctors in protective suits enter his suite to check his temperature. The government also provides him three meals a day while he waits. In the meantime, Nick still hasn\u2019t seen his family. \u201cThey are sending delicious food, which they drop off with the concierge downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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Een lijst van afbeeldingen<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t
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