Collected Item: “ARUBA 643”
Give your story a title.
ARUBA 643
What sort of object is this: text story, photograph, video, audio interview, screenshot, drawing, meme, etc.?
Travel
Tell us a story; share your experience. Describe what the object or story you've uploaded says about the pandemic, and/or why what you've submitted is important to you.
In March of 2021, my girlfriend and I went to the beautiful island of Aruba. I had been several times prior, but this was her first trip there. Neither of us had traveled outside of the US since the inception of the pandemic and we both were a bit concerned.
I think some of the concern came from getting so much varying information. Who to believe was always a bit of a question. Several friends had gone prior to us and had very different experiences. The real disconnect seemed to be about getting their required return test for COVID.
Several of the people we spoke with displayed their anger at how the test was administrated. They stated the brush had “gone into their brain”. Understanding the exaggeration made the concern no less worrisome.
Despite what we heard, we went anyway and had an amazing time. Aruba is one of my favorite places in the world and I had been several times before. Being familiar with many of the spots helps navigate and lessons with anxiety.
Two days before we went home, we arrived serious to take our tests. The bush seemed to be of normal size and my girlfriend bravely went first. She came out and jokingly claimed that it really hurt. The cruel joke caused me some concern, but I went through and was surprised to find no problem at all.
We had a great time, and perhaps the lesson learned is to explore things for yourself to find the right answer to your questions.
I think some of the concern came from getting so much varying information. Who to believe was always a bit of a question. Several friends had gone prior to us and had very different experiences. The real disconnect seemed to be about getting their required return test for COVID.
Several of the people we spoke with displayed their anger at how the test was administrated. They stated the brush had “gone into their brain”. Understanding the exaggeration made the concern no less worrisome.
Despite what we heard, we went anyway and had an amazing time. Aruba is one of my favorite places in the world and I had been several times before. Being familiar with many of the spots helps navigate and lessons with anxiety.
Two days before we went home, we arrived serious to take our tests. The bush seemed to be of normal size and my girlfriend bravely went first. She came out and jokingly claimed that it really hurt. The cruel joke caused me some concern, but I went through and was surprised to find no problem at all.
We had a great time, and perhaps the lesson learned is to explore things for yourself to find the right answer to your questions.
Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your story. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?
@Arizonastateuniversity, @Historyoftourism, @Hist643
Who originally created this object? (If you created this object, such as photo, then put "self" here.)
self
Give this story a date.
2021-03-15