Photo Essay

Coronavirus Disease 2019, also known as COVID-19, is an infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China. WHO initially characterized the COVID-19 outbreak as an epidemic, but on March 11, 2020, after several countries have reported cases of the virus, WHO changed COVID-19's characterization to a pandemic. So far, about three million cases have been detected around the world, and the global death toll has passed 200,000.

This photo essay is a collection of images submitted by people living in Japan, South Korea, Spain, France, Singapore, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Morocco, and Italy to showcase their life during this global crisis.

Anna Miyanohara, a former MTSU international student, currently lives in Yokohama, Japan. While Japan did not impose a national lockdown, the government did encourage its citizens to stay at home to prevent the spread of the virus. When asked what her new normal looks like, Miyanohara said, “My life is only at work or my apartment.”

Anna Carmichael, an English teacher in Seoul, South Korea, shows the area near her workplace. Carmichael said she was impressed with how well South Korea is handling the outbreak. While South Korea never imposed a lockdown or a stay-at-home order, cases have stayed low because “people are more willing to give up their personal freedom when it benefits the whole.”

Emily Webb, an MTSU alumni who currently lives in Toledo, Spain, shows her community coming together to clap for the healthcare workers.

Malo Le Cras, former MTSU international student, is now in Toulon, France working on his master’s degree and internship. Since France is under a national lockdown due to COVID-19, Le Cras said he spends most of his day working on his laptop.

Le Cras shows the view outside of his apartment in Toulon, France. Due to the nationwide lockdown, everyone is forced to stay inside and everything but the grocery stores and hospitals is closed. Le Cras said the only time he gets to interact with someone face-to-face is at the grocery store with the cashier.

Li Ying Ong or Selene, a college student and intern in Singapore, shows the view outside of her apartment. According to Selene, what once was a busy intersection is now empty due to the “circuit breaker” the government has instituted. The circuit breaker is a set of restrictions and new rules designed to keep the spread of virus under control.

Felicia Irawan lives in Surabaya, Indonesia where she and her neighbors have been encouraged by the government to work from home and practice social distancing.

Adya Daswaney, a college student who lives in Bath, United Kingdom, said that life has been different for him because of the pandemic. Before the outbreak, Daswaney would go to the gym and library and hang out with his friends in bars, but due to the restrictions placed by the government in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus, everything is closed and the streets are now empty.

Khadija Afassi, a college student who lives in Casablanca, Morocco, sets up her new study space in the living room of her house. Afassi is one of the many students around the world who now have to adapt and, in some cases, face challenges as a result of all classes shifting to online only.

Like Afassi from Morocco, Amina Marengon, a college student who lives in Belluno, Italy, said the biggest change she faced as a result of the pandemic was the online classes. At first, Marengon said she wasn’t sure how she would handle it, but she got used it eventually. Marengon said that since she has a garden, one of the things she would do in between online classes is “stay outside under the sun.”