The Current 2020

September 22, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 4 Features My experience with living in a pandemic Every single person affected by the COVID-19 pandemic has had a unique experience. I experienced first hand how three different governments responded to the pandemic, I learned how to adapt to my sport as a student-athlete and encountered what it was like moving to a different country amidst the chaos. I’m a dual citizen and I was still living in Florida when the seemingly abstract threat of the virus was slowly growing. I decided to leave the country when my hometown declared that they would soon be closing the airport to outsiders until further notice. I made the decision swiftly, which gave me two days to pack up necessities, such as clothes and textbooks (which I later wouldn’t be able to return), and leave the rest of my apartment behind. I went home to St.Maarten on a plane meant for about 100 people that held a total of six of us. After landing, I was mandated to self-quarantine for at least 14 days and call a COVID-19 hotline in case I showed any symptoms. While home, my family sectioned off a portion of the house for me to implement my self-quarantine. I was kept busy with catching up on school work and maintaining training. To adjust to the new situation, my club coaches had organized for the swim team to stay fit, exercising together twice a day through Zoom. This was an interesting, temporary alternative that I didn’t realize at the time would last six months. The island’s community atmosphere was fairly tense during the beginning phases. My country is the smallest piece of land in the world to be split into two different countries: half Dutch and half French. Although the landmass is just 37 square miles, once you cross the border, it’s a whole different culture and way of governing. On the Dutch side where I live, the military had been called in to enforce a strict curfew during the week of our first case. Going out was allowed for a window of about six hours for three days in the week. During this time, the population would go shopping and go about getting whatever necessities they needed to remain in their homes for the majority of the week. Many stop points were set up along the routes of our small island and didn’t allow anyone to drive or walk without having written permission from the government for fear of large By: Tatiana Illis Contributing Writer fines. The severity of the measures taken seemed justified to me. With a close-knit population of 70,000, a single case in the wrong place would prove disastrous. The French side of the island had a slightly more relaxed approach. They did establish a curfew, but they didn’t shut down every port of By: Veronica Richard Contributing Writer Registering to vote in Florida With Election Day nearing, it is important to know your voter registration status so that you can do your civic duty and vote this November. If you have already registered to vote Check your voter status by going to https://www.nass.org/can-I-vote . Click on the icon that says “Voter Registration Status” and select the state that you are registered in. This should be the state in which the address that you used to register is in. Once you do that, all you have to do is put in your full name and date of birth, and your voter status will show up. If you have not registered to vote yet, check your state or county’s Supervisor of Elections website for detailed information on the registration process. Voting in Florida Residents can register to vote online at https://registertovoteflorida.gov/home or through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ website. Online voter registration is mobile friendly and using either method to register will require a valid state identification card as well as your social security number. If you are unable to provide a valid state identification card, then you must print out the registration form and send a physical copy to your county’s Supervisor of Election office. Voter registration in the state of Florida is available in both English and Spanish and is certified for its disability accessibility. The last day to register to vote for the November general election is Oct. 5, with the last day to request an absentee ballot being Oct. 24. Research the candidates Now that you know your voter registration status, you are almost ready for Election Day, but before you vote, remember to research the candidates. Find out what candidates you like, which ones you do not and which ones you are unsure about. Do not just vote on impulse or because a name sounds trustworthy. Do your research. Make sure that you support a candidate’s platform and not just a charismatic persona. Voting is not like marriage; it is like a bus. You are not looking for “the one” perfect candidate, you are looking for the candidate that is going the closest to where you want to go. Every candidate on either side of the political spectrum has their flaws. No politician is infallible. Just find the candidate that best fits your beliefs. Early voting takes place from Oct. 19 to Nov. 1 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. In Davie, there are two early voting locations: NSU, usually held on the first floor of the Carl Desantis Building, and the Davie Cooper City Public Library on Southwest 82 Ave. For more information on polling stations in Broward County, visit the Broward Supervisor of Elections website at www. browardsoe.org . By: Alexander Martinie Opinions Editor The fall equinox: what does it mean? PRINTED WITH PERMISSION BY E. COWAN Fall in Maryland With fall and Halloween decorations in stores for the past month, most believe autumn begins in August; however, the season begins on the fall equinox, which begins this year on Sept. 22. The scientific explanation of the fall equinox is when the sun is directly above the equator, when day and night are equal in length with approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. This equinox marks the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. At exactly 9:31 a.m. on Sept. 22, the sun will align with the earth’s equator, making the fall equinox official. As the year continues, we will begin to see less and less daylight until the winter solstice on Dec. 21, when we will receive only nine hours of daylight. In the Northern Hemisphere, many celebrations and traditions revolve around the fall equinox. For some, it marks the beginning of a bountiful harvest. Farmers believe vegetables are the ripest during this day of the year. In Greek mythology, the equinox marks the day the goddess Persephone leaves her mother Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, and travels to the Underworld to be with Hades, leaving the world barren and cold until she returns to her mother in the spring. The Mayans even believed a giant “snake of sunlight” would appear every year on the equinox and slither down their pyramids in Chichen Itza, Mexico. Some believe the equinox may have an effect on your astrological sign. Depending on your sign, which is based on your birthday, astrologers believe very specific things are in store. For example, Geminis are instructed to reflect on their relationships while Cancers are supposed to relax and keep calm. Another significant aspect of the fall equinox is the beautiful aurora borealis. NASAscientists believe the aurora borealis is brighter and twice as likely for geomagnetic activities to occur around this time of year. If you thought these colorful lights that fill the night sky were beautiful before, you’ll love them even more during the fall equinox. One might think with all these traditions and meanings behind the fall equinox, it would also bring cooler weather. Not in South Florida. Unlike the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, which will see average temperatures in the mid-sixties, Florida’s average temperature during the fall equinox is in the high 80s. So, put your sweaters and boots back in the closet and keep out your t-shirts and shorts because Florida’s heat is not going anywhere this fall. entry and kept some establishments open to the public (with social distancing guidelines). Ultimately, this pandemic has highlighted some flaws in many of the systems we have in place, but it has also showcased our creativity in adaption as well as our resolve. PRINTED WITH PERMISSION BY T. ILLIS Taking a flight back to St. Martin