In the month since Spring 2020 classes officially ended, Grinnellians across the country have transitioned into their first socially-distanced summer. The S&B’s Ingrid Meulemans caught up with five students to find out what they’ve been doing to occupy their time while following CDC guidelines to remain six feet apart from those outside their family unit to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Lizzy Zerez ’22
Zerez is currently a remote intern from her home state of Hawaii. Working for a non-profit called Strategy for Access, she has been “creating videos and documentaries that serve and educate disability communities.” For Zerez, though, the remote aspect of her internship is one of the most obvious effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on her daily life. According to Zerez, the number of cases in Hawaii has been low, and opening back up has gone relatively smoothly. She is concerned, however, that an influx of tourists could endanger her community, especially her grandmother. Despite these fears, Zerez and her grandmother spend most of their days gardening, cooking and chatting.
Hudson Clulow ’23
Clulow just finished their extremely unorthodox first year of college and is now resting and recharging in Grinnell. Although they are without their family and some of the close friends that they met during their first year, Clulow emphasized how nice it has been to make connections with their new roommates and neighbors. During the day, Clulow passes their days by biking and wandering around town. The end goal is usually to set up a hammock in some uncharted destination and swing anywhere from “2 to 30 feet above the ground.” Clulow’s favorite time of day is at sunset. Their favorite places to watch the sun go down? The front porch of their new house and the “southern-most end of Penrose and about a mile down the bike path northwest of town.”
Aarzoo Bhimiani ’21
For Bhimani, the process of reopening has been a little different. The rising senior, who lives in Switzerland, described her daily life as “slowly going back to normal.” Although Switzerland had their highest rate of infection in March, the precautions that are being implemented seem to be working. While it’s not mandatory to practice normal social distancing, Bhimani and many of her neighbors are opting to still take as many precautions as possible. “I’ve never been more appreciative of how disciplined Swiss people are,” she said. While still choosing to stay mostly at home, Bhimani makes trips to the grocery store and sees her friends in small groups.
Rachel Snodgrass ’21
Snodgrass is currently living in Connecticut and was able to start her in-person internship. Throughout the next two months, Snodgrass will work with environmental protection agencies and learn about “river stewardship.” When she’s not at work, Snodgrass spends time with her little sister (they are quarantining together) and going for walks outside. In these last couple months of downtime, Snodgrass has even started making earrings.
Maddie McCabe ’22 
Like Snodgrass, McCabehas been spending a lot of time with her little sister. The two, who have also been quarantining together outside of Minneapolis, MN, go on runs, picnics and visits with their friends from a safe distance. A few days ago, the sisters, who are both heavily involved in their local gymnastics program, met up with some mutual friends in front of their gym. When she is inside, though, McCabe has been making cards by hand to send to her friends and family in order to bring a little more happiness into their days.
