Writing from Within a Government Quarantine
I can look outside my window right now and see Rosa, my favorite whisky and cocktail bar. I am currently housed in a hotel in E-Cool, two blocks away from my apartment. But I’m not home yet.
Wondering if there are any super humans who want to order me a Plum Girl and climb up a rope from my window to deliver my favorite cocktail?
I was lucky to get on a flight from Phuket to Hong Kong yesterday morning. Most flights out of Phuket were canceled as more restrictions are now in place, starting today, Thursday, March 19th. Any travelers arriving to Hong Kong from this day forward will have to do a 14-day quarantine in Hong Kong before traveling to their next destination, even if the next destination is Mainland China. This means if I would have landed 10 hours after I did, I would have been subjected to 28 days of quarantine as China does not count the quarantine in Hong Kong. I am an introvert, but not a hermit.
The plane ride and arrival to Hong Kong was uneventful. The fun began at the border crossing. After crossing through the Hong Kong side, those of us returning to the mainland were greeted by many, many staff in Hazmat suits.
I waited in a line for about two hours to fill out a number of forms asking about where I had come from and the status of my health.
After a number of hours, I was eventually color-coded with a sticker that identified which part of Shenzhen I live in. This sticker would indicate which hotel I would be brought to for my quarantine.
I spent about an hour in one of these fancy chairs with this view waiting to be placed on a bus
I landed myself in a hotel quarantine rather than a “normal” home quarantine for the time being because Thailand was put on the hot list of countries that China considers most dangerous in terms of spreading the virus right now. Also on that list: South Korea, the Philippines, Italy and The United States. Some six hours after landing in Hong Kong, I arrived at the Fuzon hotel, my three-star quarantine abode.
It was nice to be placed in a hotel in my own stomping ground. Rosas out my window is a bit of tease, though.
Before I could get in to my room, there was more waiting around. I was hangry, I was exhausted. I was waiting for this ... j
ust your run-of-the-mill coronavirus swab. Crossing my fingers my results are back tomorrow so that I might sleep in my own bed soon.
After the swab, I was offered a sheet with the rules for my stay:
“Warm” tips. Living a life lived in translation is everything.
After falling into my hotel bed — which, to be honest, is comfortable and clean — just before midnight, I slept for some six hours. I close my eyes and find myself back in my bed at CCs, next to a beautiful man, laughing and talking. Or snuggled in my bed on Phi Phi Islands with the ocean just outside my door. Life right now is quite the contrast to what I was lucky enough to live for over three weeks.
After I got up today, I put my yoga practice on hold for the moment and got down with a Dirty 30 workout — I’ll find a way to fit burpees in to any space.
Jeana Anderson Cohen, founder of asweatlife.com, says, “If you have a body, you have a gym.”
A good portion of the afternoon was spent grading essays and listening to one hit wonders from the late 90s and dancing around my hotel room. I am going to make the most of this crazy situation. No diggity, no doubt.
Lunch did leave a bit to be desired. My biggest criticism of my situation is that I am not allowed any food deliveries. I do not know why this is as I know people at other hotels who are able to order food or receive deliveries from friends.
Ufff daaaa. I am not at CC’s anymore, eating fresh curry and sipping Muay Thai smoothies, that is for sure.
Buuut, that I was able to receive a delivery from my friend and apartment neighbor. She snuck some chocolate past the food police and it did make my day. The craviance (remember from the past post that this is the new word for “an ambiance of elegance”) of my hotel was greatly ameliorated by these small candles, magnetic words for poetry play and dark chocolate.
I am now about to crash hard-core here. It is going to take some time to get my bearings back in Shenzhen. What does just warm my heart is that In the 20 hours that I have spent here in “solitary confinement,” my director and administrators have called and messaged to check in, to see what they can do for me, within their means, to just say, ”I’m here.” My friends have offered to talk at any time, to arrange times for people to call in so that it feels a little less like being alone. Alli and Charles were able to also drop off a portable wifi device with a built-in VPN, so working for the hotel room is a bit smoother now. When Community wraps its arms around you, well, to me, if feels as good as my weighted blanket waiting for me on the bed in my apartment.
It is community that is everything right now. We must take great care of ourselves, and we must take great care of each other. Extending more gratitude tonight for the communities I am fortunate enough to give to and receive from.
Love, peace, and good vibes, from inside of my quarantine. XOXO,
