This post is long overdue. I have been avoiding it, I think because I just couldn't bear to reflect on and allow myself to process this experience. But it's time.
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| Quarantine Facility - Hong Kong 2020 |
We were considered "close contacts" (we sat one row behind that person). It was required we go to a mandatory government quarantine facility to wait out the 14-day incubation. A van would pick us up the next day. We were told to pack.
Unsure of what awaited us, and absolutely terrified that one of us had contracted the virus (or would get it in quarantine) and be separated ... we choked down our feelings and gathered the kids. "It will be an adventure," we told them (and prayed that it would).
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| How do you pack for this???? ... bedding, towels, toiletries, snacks, toys, books, and 2 weeks worth of clothes for a family of 5 |
Friends dropped off snacks. We called everyone we had been in close contact with and asked the school to sanitize our hallway and the campus spaces we had been in. I sat down to record a week's worth of teaching videos, postpone my zoom student calls, and coordinate with my team. We canceled our plans and didn't step a foot out the door until our hazmat suited escort showed up the next day.
Thus began The Family Bonding Experience. 5 people. 1 bed. 1 crib.
Upon arrival, Ainsley and I scrubbed that place top to bottom for two hours solid. Thank goodness for Clorox wipes! It had been sanitized, they assured us, but that is not the same as being cleaned. There was sticky goo, hair, dirt, and dust everywhere. The hot water kettle was crusted over and half-full of water from the last tenant. We were provided a small care-pack with soap, shampoo, thin Ikea towels, and toilet paper.
We did the best we could to make it cozy. It would be our home for the next ten days. A bit tight, but at least we were together.
The Health Department really struggled to keep us together - we argued that point fiercely. I would not be separated from my breastfeeding toddler.
So here we are. Let's make the best of it. We threw a blanket on the floor as a carpet over the hard concrete blocks. We settled in for some serious family bonding time. Like camping!
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| Glory of glories - a mini fridge! Happy surprise! |
Here's the menu provided on the first night. Reality check - we would need reinforcements.
Lucky for us, we were at one of the few facilities that allow people to get outside. Our windows were bolted shut, so it was an absolute lifesaver.
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| Back in the days when Alex refused to wear a mask.... Not anymore! He asks for his mask now! And yes, I did have a mini panic attack every time my children sat on these benches that other close-contact cases had been sitting on. Constant state of alert and fear, people. Constant. |
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| There were special procedures for tossing your trash. |
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| These kids - so resilient - so adventurous. They were our light. |
At first, time stretched out. Each hour felt like a day. Then, the days started to run one into the other like a big mushy gray cloud. Addie said it felt like jail. And it was.
Yet, while our American sensibilities (and parenting skills) were put to the test, we knew it was for the best. It was for the protection of greater Hong Kong. In fact, the very rules that made us feel constricted a month ago were clearly keeping us safe... and were paving the path to Hong Kong's soon-to-be-had greater freedom of movement. We would come to realize that our temporary discomfort (and that of many others) was making it possible for HK to quell the spread of the virus.
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| Though we drew the line at wearing masks in our own room. |
At some point a few days in, our friends arrived to drop off a load of support notes, cards, gifts, and much-needed prepackaged food. It was the *best day ever*. The love we felt! The light that pierced our darkened days. I can't begin to describe the power of friends, connection, and support. They even put together a support WhatsApp group which was simply AMAZING.
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| We raced out to greet them! |
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| Happy Day! |
Our teacher friends thoughtfully made little paper bags (one for each kid, each day) with small surprises in them for the kids to have something to look forward to.
We dove into the sandwiches, salads, fruit, and cup-o-noodles!!!
Instead of this...
Temperature checks several times a day, police officers in PPE monitoring the grounds, an onsite doctor consultation. A nurse available 24/7 via whatsapp whom we request extra water bottles from and who called to check our symptoms in detail daily. Otherwise... keeping ourselves occupied and keeping the natives calm and happy by any means.
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| Cup-O-Noodles, chocolate, family bed, and all the iPad she wants... she's living her best life. |
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| When you still want iPad but you are tired of sitting down. |
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| All the mommy-moo (gymnastic toddler nursing at its best) |
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| Guess we're all squeezing into the crib tonight! |
We made the most of the outdoor space, despite frequent requests to "please go back to your room now, m'am" and texts from the nurse asking us not to bring balls outdoors because it disturbed the peace. We hope the lively energy our family brought to the establishment raised the spirits of everyone else in quarantine. Another couple we met immediately asked friends to send them a ball after they saw us. We may have been a bit of a sight for the many locals who calmly walked their rounds each day... but hopefully, we brightened things a bit in the process of trying to stay sane.
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| Poop-Face 😂 |
The whole experience left it's mark. I am changed because of it. I certainly dealt with some form of PTSD afterward. That said, all in all, we did indeed bond (thank you, Ainsley, for coining the phrase "FBE: Family Bonding Experience"!) and we remained healthy and together. And we did our part to keep HK healthy as well.
As a way of processing via a creative outlet ... I improvised some site-specific dance before we left:
Finally, having cleared our Covid19 Tests and completed 14 days post-exposure, we were free to go. My boss sent a driver with a van to collect us and bring us home! Home, sweet home!
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| Made it. |