Coronavirus strands student in D.C.
Unable to return to his university in China, a student must adapt to life in D.C.
Like anyone, Kareem Amin was excited about coming to D.C. for the holidays to spend some time with his family and friends. However, he was not aware that when he arrived for his spring-week break from China in early 2020 that he would be stuck in D.C. for months.
Kareem Amin has been stuck in D.C. for three months. Courtesy photo.
“I was so happy and relieved that I was able to get out of China since the coronavirus started to spread across the country. Little did I know that the United States will be the most infected country and I will be stuck here as well,” Amin said.
Attracted by the lower cost of higher education, Amin, who is from Egypt went to Nanjin in China to do a pharmacy degree.
“I chose China in particular because it was cheap. It’s not cheap but it is in comparison with other countries in Europe and Asia,” Amin stated.
Though he is a permanent U.S. resident, Amin is anxious to get back to his education.
Amin is a pharmacy student at Nanjin University in China. Courtesy photo.
“When my family applied for the immigration visa, they also applied for me, so thankfully I have it and I can stay here for as long as I want, but I still need to go back to my college. Apparently, this is not an option right now,” he explained. Aside from not being able to leave the U.S., Nanjin University, where Amin is a student, is denying visas to non-Chinese students in an attempt to prevent a second wave of the virus.
“At the moment they provided online classes for the students who can’t go back to China. It’s really poor but it’s better than nothing,” Amin said.
In the meantime, Amin is trying to adapt to the situation the best way he can.
“I am living with my family at the moment. This is my second time here in the United States, but I have never stayed here that long. That’s probably the only good thing out of this whole mess; to spend as much time in the United States for my green card. A good thing is that I brought my Switch with me, it helps me to kill time while doing nothing during the day,” Amin said.
Meanwhile, Amin said that he might transfer to a university in D.C. if he can’t return to China soon.
“My final resort is that I would transfer to any school here in D.C. if the whole pandemic thing doesn’t get fixed and apply for financial aid since I am eligible for it. But first I have to see if I can find a way to go back and finish my last year and get my degree. Either way, I am going to have to wait and see.”
