On Wednesday, April 22nd at 9:00 AM I attended the event through zoom. There were people from multiple countries such as Germany, France, and China and of all different ages. It was interesting to hear about the perspectives that different countries had on the pandemic and what their countries were doing to prevent the spread. One thing that really surprised me was the QR codes that France is using to make sure no one is going beyond one kilometer from their house without good reasoning. I think that because France has been able to implement the QR code, the country is able to enforce strict stay-at-home orders more successfully. It was also interesting to hear the difference of perspectives between Germany and France, especially since they are neighboring countries. France seemed to be more strict throughout the country while Niklas was explaining that in Berlin, they have not been very strict about staying at home. I also think it was not fair that in China they are still requiring the students to take their college entrance exams, even though they are taking it under nonstandard conditions that could affect their grade and where they attend university.
When Steven asked everyone if they had heard about the protests in the United States, I was just waiting for them to say that we are a dumb country (at least some people). It did not surprise me that no one in their countries was protesting stay at home orders, and they seemed appalled that people were doing it here. I think that people in our country are too capitalistic instead of caring about the well being of others and themselves. This relates to international affairs because it is important to notice how other countries are approaching the same issues. We can use that information to try and change policy in our own country by learning from them.