Written by Sabrina Parker
Máxima Grieser is a 16-year old student from a town called Heubach in the state Baden-Württemberg, Germany — just east of the major city of Stuttgart. She came to Monarch Park Collegiate in September of 2019 as an international student. She intended to stay until the end of the school year in June of 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she had to end her stay early—leaving in March of 2020, just as governments were imposing international travel restrictions.
I had the chance to speak with her about her experiences as an international student, how the virus impacted her exchange, and how the pandemic is affecting life in Germany.
S: First off, I actually wanted to ask you about your experience as an international student in Canada during the pandemic. You unfortunately had to go back to Germany due to the lockdown restrictions, how did you find this?
M: Being here during the pandemic was very nerve-wracking and emotionally exhausting. Although I had support from my friends, host family and my family at home, I was always worried about my family’s health and we constantly had to weigh out what decision would be best. Of course, I was devastated to leave early, but the fear of not being able to get a flight back to Germany or that I couldn’t help if one of them got COVID-19 was bigger. It was especially hard because I became friends with alot of people and felt very comfortable in Toronto,but thinking back, leaving was a good decision.
S: When you were flying back to Germany, what was your experience like? I imagine it
must’ve been nerve-wracking to be in an airport at that time, and it must’ve been difficult to self-quarantine away from your family?
M: I was very nervous to be in an airport and a plane with about one hundred people for several hours. There was a distance to other passengers when you were seated, but while getting on and off the plane, people did come very close to you and the fear of getting infected was very high. I wasn’t as nervous about getting COVID-19, but more about infecting my family. I didn’t fully quarantine away from my family for 14 days, but when I did I struggled a lot with what had happened. For example, when my dad picked me up from the airport I had only seen him once since July 2019, and not being able to even just hold his hand without both of us wearing masks and gloves was heartbreaking, because I definitely needed a hug or more contact with my family during those times.
S: Following your self-quarantine, you volunteered with the German Red Cross,
what is it exactly you did there?
M: Before I came to Canada, I had already volunteered for the German Red Cross for three years, so I had some experience. After hearing how much medical staff had to work and how exhausting that I was, I felt like I should try to help in any way possible. About two months of being back in Germany and knowing that I wouldn’t come back anytime soon, I started teaching First Aid Classes.
S: How did you find this experience? Do you feel like you learned anything?
M: I found it very interesting to work in the medical field during the pandemic. I felt that many of the people taking the courses didn’t really see just how serious COVID is and how easy it is to get infected and spread the disease, and I learned that fining people for not social distancing or wearing masks in enclosed spaces is necessary because they wouldn’t do it without if it wasn’t for the fines.
S: And now, what is the current situation like in Germany, is everything still in lockdown, or are you slowly getting your freedom back?
M: Germany started reopening a lot of places and the social distancing rules aren’t as strict anymore, because our numbers went down and we barely had new cases. But now it seems as if the measurements will become stricter again because the number of cases are increasing again. It seems as if people, not only in German but all around the world, took the loosening of social distancing measurements as an invitation to act as if there wasn’t still a fatal disease out there.
S: It’s so unfortunate that COVID-19 ended your exchange short; do you hope to come back to Canada soon?
M: Yes; I hope to come back to Canada soon and see all my friends again. I sadly didn’t have the chance to properly say goodbye to them and miss everyone a lot.
Maxima (back left) with friends
About the Author
Sabrina Parker is a Grade 12 student at Monarch Park Collegiate in the IB program. Growing up, she was always creative, and her dream was to become a fashion designer. Over the years, her ambitions have shifted and evolved, but her creative drive has always remained. She started an Instagram account for photography and graphic design was able to get exposure from brands such as Forever 21, Aritzia, J. Crew, OPI, and more. Some of her other interests include playing competitive soccer, playing piano, and coding.