"The wait for the federal government to return was grueling."
Lotte Iglhaut, a student on the dual degree course in Viticulture and Enology (6th semester) at the Wine Campus Neustadt, spent her semester abroad in New Zealand. She spent the last few weeks working at Johner Estate Winery in Masterton and was brought back by the German government. Initially, it was a time of new tasks and getting a taste of the air on the other side of the world. But Corona changed everything. In her interview, she tells us how she experienced the lockdown in New Zealand.
1. where are you at the moment and how have you experienced the last 3-4 weeks?
I was still in New Zealand until yesterday. At first, you only heard about the corona crisis through the news and conversations with friends at home. The whole thing still felt very far away in New Zealand. It felt like New Zealand was four weeks behind the rest of the world in terms of developments. And then the situation changed pretty quickly. The first part of our return flight to Australia was canceled, many airlines stopped flying to Frankfurt and then a message was sent to our cell phone that the New Zealand government was ordering a lockdown. The message basically says that you have to spend the next four weeks wherever you spend the following night. Suddenly you no longer even know whether you are allowed to work, because only those who belong to the "essential business" are allowed to work at all. Only grocery stores are open, you are no longer allowed to go shopping together. If you are out and about, you may be stopped by the police and have to be able to justify and certify why you are going where. Apparently, New Zealanders have learned from the situations in other countries and have resolved not to let it get that far.
2. what does your everyday life look like at the moment? Are you waiting for repatriation?
We were at the winery with other Germans and registered together for the repatriation campaign. We checked our emails and Instagram several times a day for new messages. The wait for the repatriation was grueling. On the one hand, you really don't want to leave. Leaving your employer in the middle of the fall was the last thing we wanted to do. On the other hand, you want security and would simply like to have a flight date. After the first two flights, the repatriation was stopped again in order to clarify some urgently needed organizational matters, including with the New Zealand government. That gave us a little more time. We are very torn. You want to enjoy the last few days as much as possible, but the uncertainty causes a constant sinking feeling in your stomach. The new work requirements are exhausting at first. In the staff kitchen, all plates, glasses and utensils have to be separated by person in case an inspection comes to the winery. The shared rooms are being rearranged and I have moved into the wine shop, which is now closed anyway. Another intern had to move into the bottle store between pallets of wine.
3. can you complete your studies as expected?
On the whole, completing the course is not a problem. We would have liked to spend more time in the open wine shop for our practical marketing project, but fortunately we had plenty of opportunity to do so at the beginning. Fortunately, I only needed another two months for my training period.
4. are there any specific measures in your current country of residence that you rate as particularly positive or negative?
At the beginning, the complete lockdown seemed a bit extreme, with very few cases of illness. In hindsight, New Zealand learned from the mistakes of other countries and took immediate action. At the same time as the lockdown, aid packages for small businesses were introduced and, in the end, the early crackdown helped to ensure that things could return to normal sooner.
5. to what extent has Corona changed your perspective?
Our accommodation at the winery was very spartan, it felt a bit like spending weeks on a campsite. However, when you learn how some backpackers felt when they were stuck in shared hostel rooms during the lockdown, unable to leave even when a roommate got sick and they were running out of money, it didn't occur to you to complain that you had to walk across the courtyard to take a shower. Suddenly you realize how good you have it, with secure accommodation, the opportunity to go shopping and still be able to go to work.
6 As dual students, you are already in the middle of your professional life. What specific impact has the coronavirus crisis had on your partner company?
My partner company in New Zealand has lost half of its employees due to the crisis and our trip home. Fortunately, the return program was delayed so much that we were able to finish most of the harvest before we flew. Another big factor is, of course, the collapse in sales. The restaurant trade has just completely disappeared as a customer, many people can't go to work and have lost earnings, so wine is also at the bottom of the supermarket shopping list for the time being.
My partner company in Germany is currently rebuilding its cellar. In addition to the difficult sales situation, there are concerns that the construction will be delayed and the new cellar will not be ready in time for next fall.