Spring at Carleton!!!

In case you forgot, a year ago the world changed. For me, the start of the pandemic meant being sent home from Carleton and taking spring term classes at home. It’s so strange looking back on that time now. Things are still far from normal — but now I’m on campus for my very. first. spring!! And boy, is it beautiful.

I have so many more pictures of flowery things and green things and happy things… but you get the gist. The point is, even though winter at Carleton is long and snowy and cold (and there are a million blog posts to prove it), spring always comes in the end. That’s the beauty of living somewhere with seasons!

And this year, there are so many other reasons to feel springy. For example…

I signed up for a COVID vaccine appointment last night!!!

I literally cannot believe it. My roommate and I have been looking everywhere for appointments since March 30, when Minnesota made everyone 16 and above eligible, and last night at 12:15 AM, we managed to find two open slots for next Wednesday! They’re about 40 minutes away in Owatonna, MN, so a family member of mine who lives in Northfield will drive us (masked and distanced, of course).

I feel really lucky to have access to a car so I can get my shots ASAP. The more people on Carleton’s campus that are even halfway vaccinated, the safer the community becomes. And it frees up appointments in Northfield and at Carleton for people who don’t have transportation.

That’s right: Carleton is giving out vaccines!!

They’re currently moving through the priority groups and notifying faculty, staff, and students when it’s their turn. A friend of mine is taking an Education Psychology class where she goes into local schools, so she made it to the top of the list for students… and got her first shot at the Carleton clinic on Tuesday!!

After vaccination, we still need to follow most of the same precautions for now: masking, distancing, keeping our pods small. But one little perk is that we’ll no longer need to quarantine if we come into contact with a positive case! And for me, the biggest benefit will just be a huge sigh of relief.

I’m so grateful that Minnesota and Carleton are taking care of students in this phase of pandemic recovery.

While it does seem like an eternity since last spring, it’s also miraculous that I’m getting vaccinated for COVID just over a year after it changed my life. Gratitude, relief, and joy are my moods this spring! I hope you’re feeling it, too.

Greta is a sophomore and a proud Vermonter who loves the Minnesota prairie almost as much as the Green Mountains. She enjoys writing constantly, playing piano, and spending time outdoors. And eating lots of chocolate. She wants to learn everything, but she’s a major in Latin American Studies and a minor in Creative Writing. Meet the other bloggers!