Quarantine Thoughts

The past two and a half years of COVID have been difficult for everyone - all the quarantines, self-isolation, etc. and I've done my share of both. But there's something very depressing about being in a different country and being forced to quarantine even when you're not sick.

I've been in South Korea now for nearly ten days, but it doesn't feel like I'm in a completely different country. I mean yes, the language is in Korean and yes, the signs and things are all in Korean, but it's hard to describe. I don't feel like I'm in Korea. It just feels like a foreign hotel (Airbnb), that's it.

The food was all given to me as a gift from my friend's family, thank goodness, so I haven't had to have food delivered or anything, so I don't have that experience. Since I cannot leave my Airbnb (except for in a quarantine taxi to be tested for COVID) I've been stuck in a tiny, one-room place for a long time and I'm very tired of it.

Surprisingly, boredom isn't as much of an issue as most people seem to think or feel that it is. I can entertain myself for days on end without leaving or going very far, but it's the idea that I CAN'T and am NOT ALLOWED to leave that gets to me. It's stifling mentally to be healthy but be unable to leave your dwelling - not because you're in danger, or you're a danger to anyone else, but just because. That's it...just because.

I really wish that I could experience countries the way they were before COVID, especially South Korea, but I know that will never happen now. Everything is permanently changed, for better or for worse, we have yet to see, but so far it just seems more negative than positive.

I'll be released from my prison of an Airbnb soon - things are looking up.