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YOUNGSTOWN -- In the midst of a global pandemic, a group of Youngstown State University students still needed to get home from the United Kingdom.
Before the group even left for the UK, the university reached out to professor Guy Harrison and asked him to speak to his students about continuing with the trip. The 10 students were offered a full refund and would work with the university to get credit for the class.
"I was surprised that there wasn't a student who batted an eye," Harrison said. "A couple weren't showing signs they were ready to jump ship, but I could tell the news coverage was getting to them. I told the students, for the next couple days before we leave, don't watch the news, don't go on social media, leave the worrying to me."
Despite the offer from YSU, the group still chose to go as a whole.
Student Monica Kurjan said there was no chance she was going to miss out on this opportunity. "Nothing was going to stop me from going," Kurjan said.
The trip to the UK included London, Manchester and Paris.
Last year, the trip was going to be offered in the summer, and Kurjan signed up to go. Unfortunately, only one other person signed up, and the trip was called off because of lack of participation. This year, however, the trip was changed from one credit hour to three and added another day -- all within the same price range.
With all the news coverage about the coronavirus and how quickly it spread, there was reasonable cause for concern. Kurjan and a few others, however, had the same mindset of focusing on the positives and enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
It was during this time, however, that President Donald Trump announced a ban on international travel from Europe. While the announcement was made around 8 p.m. in the United States, it was 1 a.m. in the UK.
Harrison recalled being asleep at the time but was quickly awakened by his students. It was at this moment when he realized the gravity of the situation.
"We had just been in Paris, so we were worried," Harrison said. "For a while the possibility of us being stuck (in Europe) was very real. I didn't know who to contact. The students were rightfully worried, and I didn't know what to do."
Harrison believed the university would try to get them home as soon as possible, and it tried. But getting them home early wouldn't work. Thankfully, the announced travel ban didn't include Great Britain or American citizens.
With only a few days left, the group decided to make the best of the situation, knowing all would be able to come home.
"The next day was one of the best we had," Harrison said.
At the conclusion of the trip, the group was notified about the new travel plans. They were in Manchester but learned they might need to take the two-hour train ride back to London to be able to fly home or have the trip extended.
"I tried to remain calm. For the most part, I wasn't that scared of the virus itself. I figured that as long as we were able to come home, it wasn't a big deal," said Olivia Wall, one of the group members.
Also that last day, there was a farewell dinner and members of the group had hesitations. But Harrison assured them and convinced them that this would be one of the last things they were able to do as a "family." There were a lot of tears shed -- but out of happiness.
"It was really the closure and final bonding moment that we needed," Kurjan said.
During this time, the newly implemented travel plans had a limited number of approved airports that international flights could fly into. The group's original destination to return home was in Philadelphia, one of the airports not on the approved list.
It was at this time that Harrison commended YSU for its diligence and how quickly it worked on getting the group on a different flight to come home.
"In general, the up-in-the-air nature really upset some people," Harrison said.
When the flights got situated and they finally were able to leave, the group made it back to the United States, landing in Newark, N.J..
They went through customs, and it was business as usual. Everything changed when they let the customs agent know they had gone to Paris, one of the places listed in the travel ban.
Almost immediately they were intercepted by Centers for Disease Control specialists, dressed in full precautionary laboratory gear.
"It was something out of a movie. I had never been in the same room with someone wearing such extensive protective gear," Harrison said.
The group then had to enter a 14-day period of self-quarantine.
Harrison said that the quarantine is tough mentally and emotionally. Aside from getting some of his newly online classes situated, he doesn't really have the energy to do anything.
"I'm in the same house as my family, but I can't interact with them like I normally do," Harrison said. "I'm watching TV with my wife, but from two distant sides of the house."
Kurjan said she has been home for almost a week and hasn't hugged or been in close contact with her parents in fear of potentially getting them sick.
"Both of my parents are older, and I don't want to risk anything," Kurjan said.
Wall believes the toughest part of being in quarantine is the stress on her mental well-being.
"For me, it's been tougher on my mental health. I'm more of an extrovert so I need to be around people, but now that I'm staying home, I've become a little lethargic," Wall said.
The quarantine is quickly becoming mundane.
Still, the group remains in contact almost daily.