How did I become a prisoner in my own room?

I'll tell you how. It's called mandatory quarantine. And Pocky, who is pictured above, my sister's tiny furry trapeze artist, knows exactly how I feel right now. In the middle of June, I flew to the US to tend to my mother who was having a life-altering procedure called the Whipple. My kids begged me not to go, "what if you catch Corona, Mommy?" My 9 yo doesn't get scared easily. This boy leaps slippery rocks and climbs the highest trees. But this time I saw fear in his eyes. I stared at both of my kids and said, "If mommy ever needs your help, I hope you will fly to help me even if it means risking your life." They understood. What I neglected to add was that my mommy did everything for me. So it was my turn to return her generosity and care in a small dose even if the darn virus was raging through the US, but HK had almost 0 cases daily at the time of my departure.

Putting aside my fears, I decided to go to, out of love, not out of obligation or sibling pressure. I'm glad I went. My mother needed help.

HK-LA-JFK then JFK-HK. It will have been a two month trip by the time I finish my quarantine on August 1st in HK. But it was worth the panic and fear that paralyzed me. Covid-19 made me a prisoner, first in my sister's basement when I arrived in NJ, then in HK in my room, two weeks each, a total of four weeks. I had very little freedom to move around. And some Americans complain about their loss of freedom of having to wear a... mask? God forbid they have to quarantine in their room even after testing negative, Then wait 12 hours for the test results! There would have been an uprising in the Hong Kong Asia World Expo Hall B, complete with yelling at the staff and demand for their "FREEDOM". But this testing procedure is mandatory in HK.

I arrived in HK at 6:30 am on July 19th. Just as I departed the empty HK airport, I found it in the same state when I arrived six weeks later. It was sad and surreal. This place would usually be bustling with tourists, expats leaving or returning from home, locals to or from vacations.

Smooth landing as usual, thanks to the impeccably trained Cathay Pacific pilots. We were shuffled through many queues, bused to 2 different locations, spitted into a vile, washed our hands like million times, then finally arrived at our assigned table and chair.

After 2-3 hours of watching Snowpiercer, (which by the way, Parasite by the same director is 100,000 times better) I had to close my eyes. The darn hall was getting cold, but thanks to the HK Quarantine Facebook group, I came somewhat prepared with layers of clothes and snacks. I even thought about bringing a tent but, my luggage allowance was already over the limit.... as usual. Every time I passed by these guys, I was envious.

When I really had to lie down, I resorted to my inflatable leg rest, neck pillow, and a clean garbage bag and slept under the table. The floor was cold, but I didn't care. I took two comfortable naps, and after the second nap, I hoped they would announce the time of release, but even at 5 pm, there was no news. The only sustenance was a ham and cheese sandwich which I had eaten only half before my nap, and now, the flies were swarming inside the plastic wrap! Where the xxx did these flies even come from, and how do they even survive in this sub-zero temperature?

By 8 pm, they finally released everyone. Thank God I tested negative but my room was waiting for me to be my next trap for 336 hours. I waved a quick hello and gave my 9 yo a swift air hug and scurried into my room. I could finally take my mask off after 34 hours of transit, airport, flight, testing center... What an epic journey. I am happy to be able to sleep in my own bed finally...with the tracking device on my wrist.

The quarantine life

It's actually not that bad. I am trapped, but I am absolutely absolved of any responsibilities except feeding myself and other basic self care stuff. I wish i could find a good Netflix series like Anne with an E which by the way was one of the most amazing TV productions I have watched in a long time. I plan to watch it again with my kids when I get out of my room in a week. And I never ever watch anything twice.

Fortunately, I can't find a good series watch on Netflix right now, not even a Korean one which is my weakness... and who doesn't love K drama? As I told a friend, I never ever got addicted to anything in my life. Not smoking, not drinking, not coffee which i quit cold turkey after college, not drugs.. but Korean drama, once I get sucked in, I can't get out of the time warping black hole of... oftentimes what is nothing more than a melodramatic romance of star crossed lovers. Just a modern Romeo and Juliet but with the most trendy makeup, apparel and the most gorgeous Korean man whom everyone, I mean everyone at least in Asia talks about. "Man, he's got the most perfect nose", "Do you think he's really that romantic in real life?" so many questions from us cougar moms who dream of having met this man as our prospective hubby way back when. Yes I am talking about Hyun Bin co-star of "Crash Landing on you"! Even his name is so "mut it uh" There's not direct English translation for this but it's something like "dashing, stylish, handsome" you get the idea...

So thanks to no more interesting Netflix series like Crash, I can finally focus on sharing my story. Sorry, I diverged a bit with Crash Landing on you.. couldn't help it. It was pretty darn good. I'm sure most of you watched it. I even convinced a few of my Caucasian friends to watch it.. and one of them was soooooo frustrated it took them so long to kiss and sleep with each other. That's why K dramas are ideal family entertainment! No squirming when watching with the kiddos!

photo: Netflix, "Crash Landing on you"