we’ve all gotten to know each other much better. The calls provide a safe space for the students to talk about their feelings and ideas aloud. It is interesting to note that many say that they will leave only when the Qatari government decides to evacuate its citizens. What they do not understand is that other countries gave evacuation orders because either their own airports/ airlines or that of countries where their citizens were located were closed, and so these people were unable to fly back home. The Qatari government has not closed the airports and Qatar Airways, to this date, is still operational. They are providing a valuable international service helping people get back to their homes around the world. As time progresses, and the situation does not seem to change, half of the students who have decided to stay, leave. For the final five percent, Qatar Airways is still running and they always have the option to go home. And now: what about myself? In addition to my role as a diplomat, I am a student as well! I am a first-year PhD student at Oxford University. My work and studies continue, and I am proud that my university is playing a leading role in the effort to find a vaccine for COVID-19. But during the final two weeks of the last term, in the middle of what is a period of intense pressure, I am overcome with fatigue. Not normal fatigue – something more. I go to the emergency department because I have never felt so bad in my life. They giveme antibiotics and adviseme to rest for a week. I leave the hospital with three things on my mind: I still have the last two weeks of compulsory classes for my PhD to attend at Oxford; I have my last meeting of the term with my supervisors for which I have to prepare; and I have to organize myself for a flight I had already booked to go home to Doha to see my family. All of these have had to be cancelled except my supervisors’ meeting. The online meeting with my supervisors goes well, but now I am stuck in the UK. I have been advised not to leave my house. Is it COVID-19? I do not know. A senior colleague with underlying health conditions had been advised to leave in the best interests of his welfare, but he refused. He felt that it was his duty to stay and oversee our support in this operation. Most of the students
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