Virus Attack and Impact

By Niki Tsumagari

Due to the fast-spreading of the Coronavirus all over the world, all international trips that were planned in the remaining time of this school year have been cancelled.

Just like it did to the rest of the world, the disease, COVID-19, has brought fear, worry, and grievance to many students and staff here in Dalat. The spreading of this virus has led to the cancellation of many festivals, concerts, sports matches, and flights everywhere; and all events that our school had a part in were no exception. These include honour choir ACSC, track ACSC, girls’ soccer ACSC, and impact trips.

On February 26^th, 6:33 PM, honour choir students received an email from their choir teacher, Ms. Joyce Goh, saying that the honour choir ACSC 2020 had been cancelled. Merely two hours before this email was sent, honour choir students were in the choir room, talking about how excited and glad they were that this trip was going to happen. Many of them received this news during the seniors and middle schoolers’ activities event that was held that evening, in which several gloomy faces and sad voices were exchanged.    

Once the sad news had reached everyone in the team, it was time for each and one of them to accept the fact and move on. During the days that the trip was supposed to happen, MEW, Eagle Games, and a long weekend were planned.

Christina Beaman, a senior who is a part of the honour choir, said, “I was disappointed that the work and practices we put in for this (honour choir) didn’t pay off, but it was nice to be here for MEW and Eagle Games, which we would have missed if we had gone to Taiwan.”

Though the cancellation of this huge trip was extremely upsetting, with so many “my last in high school” events coming up ahead, as a senior, being able to attend these traditional, annual activities and events for the final time definitely felt as valuable as a big trip could be.

Still, of course, huge disappointments are unavoidable in these situations. Later in the week, when Dalat News announced that a decision was made to cancel all international trips, Liwei Koh (10), a member of the track team who was looking forward to track ACSC in Taiwan scheduled from March 18^th to 22nd, was devastated.     

“After all the hard work that everyone put in for the team, we can’t go on the trip as a reward to compete with other schools. It’s disappointing. I feel even worse for the people who worked harder than me, and for the seniors, too,” he said.

The spreading of the coronavirus over the globe is obviously beyond control of anyone’s in the Dalat community. Each person has a different way of perceiving this destruction, but all we can do now as individuals is to be careful and conscious, and hope and pray that the virus will vanish as soon as possible.