Station Eleven: Chapters 3-6

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"'Hua,' [Jeevan] said... 'You been watching the news?' Hua spoke with a peculiar intensity. 'Tonight? No, I had theater tickets. Actually, you wouldn't believe what happened, I-' 'Wait, listen, I need you to tell me honestly, will it send you into one of your panic attacks if I tell you something really, really bad?' 'I haven't had an anxiety attack in three years. My doctor said that whole thing was just a temporary stress-related situation, you know that.' 'Okay, you've heard of the Georgia Flu?' 'Sure,' Jeevan said, 'you know I try to follow the news...'" (Mandel 17)

This seems to be the exact turning point where the after of Jeevan's story begins. While Hua has long been past this point, Jeevan is much more relaxed and cheerful speaking to Hua, brushing off his past panic attacks as resolved. However, as soon as he realizes the gravity of the Georgia Flu, his anxiety immediately returns as he becomes hyper-aware of his surroundings, no longer having the luxury to not worry. I think this was a common experience for many as we realized how deadly the COVID-19 was initially. In my US History class during the winter months, my teacher and classmates would have casual conversations about the coronavirus outbreak, never expecting it to spread so quickly and lethally to the United States. Once the lockdowns and mandates were put in place though, attitudes about this pandemic were definitely less laid-back and even a cough in a classroom made everyone uneasy. 


"That evening on the beach below her hotel, Miranda was seized by a loneliness she couldn't explain. She'd thought she knew everything there was to know about this remnant fleet, but she was unprepared for its beauty. The ships were lit up to prevent collisions in the dark, and when she looked out at them she felt stranded, the blaze of light on the horizon both filled with mystery and impossibly distant, a fairy-tale kingdom. She'd been holding her phone in her hand, expecting a call from a friend, but when the phone began to vibrate she didn't recognize the number that came up on the screen" (Mandel 28-29). 

I thought this moment of reflection for Miranda was described so vividly. I would never consider a fleet of abandoned ships as beautiful due to their conotations such as war, barges, and rust. However, seeing that Miranda has extensive knowledge of these ships but has never encountered them shows the appreciation someone can have for something others take for granted. For instance the workers on these fleets probably don't think twice about their workplace enviornments, seeing and working on it regularly with minimal background knowledge about them. Yet, through Miranda's perspective and knowledge, these ships are brought to life and seen as a beautiful structure. I think this can be corellated to the following chapter's list of things lost from the Georgia flu and how many people took these things for granted. Furthermore, future generations will never experience the same "normal" childhood many adults got to expereience before the pandemic, creating a new appreciation for the seemingly normal aspects of life. In real life, I know especially those that were class of 2020 missed out on tremendous traditional events during their senior year such as Prom, Graduation, and grad parties. Even students that graduated in the following years had to give up parts of their high school experiences as schools transitioned back to normal functioning. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, these events seemed like promised milestones and experiences one will get to accomplish and not missed until they're taken away. 

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