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7-16-2020
Troubles Returning to Oman (Interview Transcription) Troubles Returning to Oman (Interview Transcription)
Serena Lee
Carleton College
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Interview
Carleton Student
July 16th, 2020
“Could you describe the last couple of days of winter term regarding your travel plans?”
“So the last few days were pretty stressful because a lot of different things were happening
around the world in terms of border closures and who different countries were letting into their
borders. Initially, I thought I was going home right away, but then the Omani borders ended up
closing two days after we had got the email (from Carleton) saying we were not going back. So, I
wasn’t able to get back before that because they closed it (the borders), only letting Omanis
in...so if you are Omani you could go back, but if you were a resident (of Oman) you couldn’t.
So at that time (the end of winter term), Aria (boyfriend) and I were trying to figure out where
we were going to go, so we decided to go to my aunt’s, but then twenty-four hours later Oman
was like, ‘oh just kidding, you can come in’... so then we were like, ‘oh, we should go to Oman’.
Then, we tried to make plans to go to Oman, but twelve hours later there were a bunch of
(COVID-19) cases in Oman… so then they said, ‘oh no, we’re closed again’. Then we were kind
of unsure at that point because we didn’t know if they were going to reopen again in the next few
hours or if they were closed for good. We ended up going to my aunt’s house in New York and
we were kind of just sitting there waiting for Oman to open the borders. We had heard that there
were a lot of charter flights going from countries in Europe to Oman. Those were for Omani
students, but you could get special permission to get on one if you are a resident trying to reunite
with your family. We didn’t find out about this until late May, so we were trying to get on some
flights for June, but they were really expensive and really hard to get on. Finally, two days before
the flight, I found out that I got on one, so I suddenly started getting my stuff together to get
ready to go.”
“How did you feel knowing that the country you live in has shut its borders to you?”
“I was feeling pretty stressed just because...I didn’t really have a place to be. I didn’t really feel
like I could stay at Carleton because they said, ‘if you can leave, leave,’ but, I didn’t really want
to stay with a lot of my relatives in the US because a lot of them are at risk and didn’t really want
me to come. It was also definitely frustrating because you see these Omani students going back
(to Oman), but I feel like I have lived in Oman as long as they have, yet I am not allowed to go
back. I was also worried because what if they (Oman) never open the borders, and I’m going to
be here for who knows how long? And my parents were there (in Oman) and couldn’t leave
because the borders were closed, so it was frustrating.”
“You already kind of touched on this, but how did your immediate family react to this. I
know they hadn’t seen you in a really long time. Were they upset?”
“My parents really wanted me to be with them because they were really concerned with what
was (and is) happening in the US with the virus. They didn’t have a feel for what was (and is)
going on in the US because they are so far away, so they didn’t really understand what was going
on. I think it’s such a stressful time, it’s so uncertain, so they wanted me to just be with them
so...we could deal with it all together. Every time there was an opportunity for me to potentially
go back, they were trying to get me back, but there were a lot of times when it wasn’t working.”
“How were the airports and planes? Compared to your previous layovers, how were these
different? Were you more bored? Was there less to do because there were less people?”
“It was definitely more boring because everything was pretty much closed in the airports. I flew
out of Boston to London-Heathrow. When I was in Boston, there were probably fifteen people in
the whole terminal that I was in, and they were all on my flight. Everything was closed, there
were the fifteen of us sitting at the gate, there was some staff around, but that was it. And when I
got to London, they only had one terminal open for departures. When I got there in the morning
it was pretty full, there were quite a few people there, but my flight was the last flight of the day,
so as the day went by there were less and less and less people which is so bizarre because usually
when you are in the airport there are a lot of people because there are flights going (in and out) at
all times. I was looking at the departure signs and the list was so short, there was nobody leaving
this airport. Everything was closed there too...they had a pharmacy open, and the pharmacy had
some to-go foods.”
“How did you eat? Did you just pack a lot of food?”
“The trip was probably twenty-six hours. I was in Heathrow for fourteen hours, so that was
boring. It was kind of interesting though...there was a lot of people watching...it was interesting
to see how people from different places were reacting to traveling with coronavirus. I saw some
people in full hazmat suits. Their hair was covered, they had goggles, they had a mask, it was
crazy. And then some people had their masks down here (gestures to below her mouth), it was
interesting. I packed food, I packed three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I did not know if
they were serving food--I didn’t want to starve.”
“Did they serve food on the plane?”
“They did. My first flight was British Airways. They served some little snacky things and
prepackaged things. My second flight was Oman Air and they served the whole meal that they
usually do.”
“How did it feel finally getting to return home? I know once you got home you still had to
distance yourself from your family to keep everyone safe, how was it not being able to do
everything you wanted to do right once you got back home?”
“I was feeling really relieved to be home because before I left (the US) I was thinking I was
never going to get home, so by the time I finally got to my house, I had a sigh of relief...like I’m
here, nobody’s going to say no anymore...they can’t kick me out...but it was definitely really
weird for the fourteen days I was quarantining. I stayed in my room, and if I left my room I wore
a mask and didn’t touch anything. It was hard because my dogs are around and you want to kiss
them and touch them, but you don’t want to spread anything. It was hard because I missed my
family a lot, my sister and my parents. We wanted to hug, but it was so awkward. Usually when
you see someone you haven’t seen in a long time in the airport you hug, but we were just like
‘hi’ (laughter). There’s not really much you can do, it’s kind of a strange situation. You’re home,
but then you’re reminded that it’s not the same situation that it usually is.”
“What are your tentative plans for the fall regarding coming back to school. Will you
return to campus or stay remote?”
“I was thinking that I might not (return to Carleton), until I realized that if I don’t come in the
fall I might not be able to come in the winter and spring.* Lucky for me, I am an American
citizen, so I don’t need a Visa, but Aria (and others)...all the American embassies worldwide are
closed so they can’t renew Visas, they can’t get new Visas. So he’s shut out...at least I’m not
shut out, I can come back. The borders in Oman are still closed, so if I go to the US I don’t know
if I’ll be able to go back (to Oman) for the next year or however long this lasts. So, I’m worried
I’m going to go (to school) and something is going to happen and everything is going to go
online, and they are going to say go home and I won’t have anywhere to go...so I’m planning on
going.”
*The college falsely sent out this information to students and soon corrected themselves. What
the student decides to do in the fall will not impact their ability to return to campus in the winter
or spring. This individual decided to rent a house in Northfield and take all online classes, as she
needs the security of a place to stay no matter what the college decides to do in the fall or
throughout fall term.
