Boarding the flight required filling out a China customs app and showing our green health code which made us eligible to fly. We showed them often…. The hardest part of the flight was keeping a mask on for 24 hours. We could take it off to eat and drink but not for long. The key is to change masks often for comfort. There were empty seats so the crew was nice in letting us move for more space. The food was good and I was able to get vegetarian. Add there was wine…. And I was able to lay down across seats to sleep. I appreciate it now that I’m 57 and my legs swell when I sit for so long even with compression socks.
It took 14 hours to get from Dallas to Seoul. It took a little longer than normal as the Russia-Ukraine war has changed the flight patterns to avoid Russian air space. As China covid rules even apply to flight crew, many US crews cannot enter China without giving up weeks for quarantine. We stopped in Seoul only to change crews and we were not allowed off the plane. Three hours later we landed in Shanghai.
The first thing we saw at the gate were the quarantine personnel waiting to deplane everyone aboard. We grabbed our carry-on and walked out the gate.
I have to give the Chinese credit for organization and mobilization. International flights arrive in an area separate from the rest of the airport. It was a long walk which was welcome after being seated for so long. We walked through temperature scanners, people checking passports and assigning a bar code for us to be scanned throughout the process, COVID test (both throat and nose), checking passports and customs codes again…. After getting our checked bags we were then placed in holding areas based upon where we live in China. This makes it easier to move people to the next steps. We also made sure all of us were in the same bus to go to the same quarantine facility.
It is one thing to self-quarantine and another to be part of centralized quarantine. To self quarantine you may still go get supplies and live with those in a household. Centralized quarantine means behind a door in a small room with meals brought to you, twice daily temperature checks, and COVID testing every three days. You cannot leave the room.
More paperwork and paying 4200 rmb ($662.51) for the 2 week stay and then I was taken to my room. All luggage was sprayed with a bleach solution even though it has been shown you don’t get COVID from objects. This is the Songzhi apartment hotel that used to house workers for the Songz automobile air conditioning company. Bare basic accommodations….
Very. small. room. The wide angle shot makes it look bigger. To be able to have space to workout I pushed the bed against the wall. The bed is pieces of wood slats for a foundation and a mattress less than an inch thick. I folded it and the comforter to lay on. I have a run but warm blanket I take with me on airplanes Good thing I don’t roll much at night as I’m sleeping on an area the size of a sleeping bag.
That white chair is the only seating in the room besides the bed. The bar area is the only place to eat and work.
I unpacked necessities and made a little coffee bar. I have the mug I bought from Jess Greene, an amazing artist. I also have the other mug I won in the Resolution run race when I ran with Michele Belak. The kettle came with the room. I planned to make sure I have my coffee.
We can get some deliveries but cannot order meals from outside. I did bring some oatmeal and almonds for snacks.
The hallways are also sanitized with bleach several times a day. Trash can be set out at different times of the day for collection.
Food overall is pretty good. Even if it is not vegetarian there are so many veggies I can skip the meat. It is amazing how hungry you become when you hear the cart roll down the hall.
Starting the next morning after we arrived we were still teaching online which helped the days go by. It is definitely a relief to not have to teach in the middle of the night.
The weekends will be the hardest when there is nothing to break up the time. I have workouts and stretches planned throughout. I also saved books to read and computer files to sort. Wifi is pretty decent except at night. My school sent a couple different extra wifi options which help. In four days I have watched the Loki and Hawkeye avenger series… I also have West Side Story on my laptop but if I watch it anymore I will break out into song as I watch!
My school created a wechat group with support people from the school. Part of their job is to be available with translation help including the apps we need to go from Shanghai to Guangzhou. They were able to help us get supplies we need and even talk to my health office so I can do my third week of quarantine in my apartment!
I also brought this diffuser Becca gave me that I had not yet taken back to China. With some Patchouli oil, it helps to humidify and scent the air.
Now to keep to a schedule I drafted to make it through the days. I must confess that there are days I wonder why I came back. I almost made the decision to leave China this year. But, I still have a few places yet to visit here and it is a place I have always wanted to be. My school paid a nice bonus to stay and I have another year in a leadership position I would like to finish. The whole process is testing my resolve and this is a fluid situation.
If there is anything we have learned from the pandemic is that things change often and we will adapt. I can come home again in December but I may postpone it until Summer 2023. After all, I stayed longer this time than what was planned. I am also looking at where I would like to be next in the world…
