A group of Illinois State University students and Dr. Rocio Rivadeneyra pose for a picture at one of the many stops during their study abroad trip to Spain in spring 2020.
Illinois State University psychology professor and former honors director Dr. Rocio Rivadeneyra took a group of ISU honors students to Barcelona, Spain one year ago for a structured exploration trip.
What she did not plan for was purchasing returning flights in a state of panic as the coronavirus pandemic spread throughout the globe and Former President Donald Trump announced the closing of United States borders.
Almost a year later, the office of international studies and programs will feature Rivadeneyra and three of the students, Mohammed Mirza, Weronika Trzaska and Joseph Troyer, as they share their experiences of traveling during the beginning of the pandemic.
The international seminar series hosted by OISP occurs at noon every Wednesday. It provides the ISU community an opportunity to learn about the world and international perspectives through the webinar.
“I think the Office of International Studies and Programs has done a great job partnering with departments. It’s not the same as travel, but it’s an opportunity to learn about different worldviews,” Rivadeneyra said.
“It’s human nature to stick to what you’re comfortable with, and right now we are in this cocoon of comfort. The seminar is an opportunity to remember there’s a big world where we’re interconnected.”
The panelists will talk about their experiences in Barcelona and what they believed about Barcelona prior to the trip in comparison to what they learned. The webinar will also include personal notes on how the coronavirus impacted their trip.
“I think it would be interesting to hear a different perspective,” Troyer, an accounting, finance and economics student, said. “I think having that direct experience of us being there and going through it firsthand would be interesting to get that incite because we don’t have that exposure unless we watch the news.”
Before going on the trip, the travelers knew there was a risk, and the pandemic completely shifted their initial plans. The webinar will provide a unique perspective that most global citizens do not have of travel.
“It’s shaped how we view travel and how much we appreciate it,” Trzaska, a math education student, said. “Everybody processes it a different way, and I think it’s unique because we were one of the only programs that went abroad from ISU during that time.”
The entire program consisted of six weeks of learning opportunities about Catalonian culture in Spain and Spanish politics prior to the embarkment to Barcelona.
The honors students continued learning through a busy week during spring break 2020 in Barcelona with four structured explorations. As the students regrouped daily from their exploration time, they talked about their experiences regarding the community and the space.
The coronavirus was officially declared a pandemic on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 while ISU students and Rivadeneyra were exploring neighborhoods and touring through Barcelona.
“The 11th of March when President put the travel ban, that’s when it really started to sink in for all of us. The governor started to close business, limit travel, limit walking in public. We could look out the window and there would be maybe one car every 30 seconds and there was no foot traffic,” Troyer said. “That was daunting, but at the same time we were able to explore the city without as many people walking around.”
Mirza, a cyber security student, said he remembers it like it had happened yesterday.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Mirza said. “The borders were shutting down. We were getting concerned and our parents were getting concerned. Our cooking workshop and flamenco dancing were cancelled. We cooked lunch and tried to calm down.”
Throughout this time, Rivadeneyra remained in constant contact with OISP.
At 2 a.m. on Saturday, March 14, 2020, Rivadeneyra woke up to emails, texts, and voicemails from everyone back in the United States telling her that everyone needed to return immediately due to Trump’s announcement of border closure.
“Saturday was the day Dr Rivadeneyra sent a text out. She was really calm about it, and she basically said buy tickets now because the governor is closing the border,” Troyer said. “Personally, I know for myself I wasn’t freaking out until she sent the text. That was a lightbulb moment for me.”
The travelers had to split up and instantly purchase flights from Barcelona to London and then to Chicago. As they returned home from the airports, there was a major shift as U.S. citizens were wearing masks.
Everyone went through immigration at the airport per usual and had to report to the CDC for a COVID-19 screening. Rivadeneyra and the students spent 14 days in quarantine after their travel and supported one another through texts and phone calls.
“Even if things did not go as we planned, we got a lot done. The students realized how much they can do and how independent and resourceful they could be when things were really stressful,” Rivadeneyra said. “They trusted each other and they trusted me. I had been open with them the entire time.”
The trip was cut short by two days and did not end as planned, but the ISU travelers grew in their knowledge and chose to pick out the positives of their week in Barcelona over the negative aspects of traveling during the lockdown.
“I want to point out the ability to adapt and work together as a whole group to find tickets and get to the airport. We all were going through a lot of things, but we fortunately made it back safe,” Mirza said.
“That’s one of the worst times you can travel, so if anyone has any questions, we have answers for them because we were there when cases spiked and the borders shut down.”
The seminar will highlight all the places they traveled to, what they experienced and the memories they made. Also, students will share a side of each of their own stories as they each processed this experience from their own different perspective.
All in all, Rivadeneyra, Troyer, Mirza and Trzaska emphasized the importance of travel and learning from international perspectives.
“You could read all about a different country or see pictures and videos, but nothing beats going there. After college, you’re going to get a full-time job and you don’t know when you’re going to travel,” Trzaska said.
“If you have the opportunity, go do it. Don’t even think twice about it. I met such amazing people and now I have a new group of friends. We worked together to get back home safe and we made awesome memories.”
To this day, Mirza keeps a card given to him before the trip in his wallet. The card reads, “When May I Pass this Way Again?”
In retrospect, he concluded by saying that he took this quote to heart during their exploration in Barcelona to live in the moment and appreciate Barcelona for what it is. He continues to apply this a year later to his mindset about the journey to and from Barcelona.
For questions about the International Series webinar, contact the Office of International Studies and Programs at (309) 438-5276.
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