Quarantining in South Korea: a daily log of my suffering
Initially, when I started my South Korean job hunt, we were on the cusp of what would mark 1 year of the global pandemic, and I had high hopes that by the time August rolled around, everything would have been returned to normal. “After all”, I rationalized, “the pandemic of 1919 only lasted two years and we are SO much more medically advanced than they were.” And here I am, Quarantining for 14 days in South Korea.
Oh boy. How embarrassing.
On July 1st, South Korea announced that they would grant quarantine exemptions to people fitting certain criteria, one of which was education or public interest - under both of which I thought I happened to fall…
And then the Delta variant hit, and my short-lived breath of relief was sucked right out of my body. Just 13 days after South Korea announced the quarantine exemptions, they withdrew them, all except for those attending funerals, and I certainly didn’t have a funeral to attend as an excuse.
I, however, didn’t realize that this had all happened, confidently walked into my appointment at the embassy to submit all my visa documents, and was promptly slid a “consent to quarantine” form to fill out.
Ladies and gentlemen, when I tell you it was the meltdown to end ALL meltdowns… I mean the security guard had to bring me a roll of toilet paper because they quickly ran out of tissues. I caused a scene — not my finest moment, that’s for sure.
In my defense, quarantining meant that instead of leaving in 5 weeks, like I had originally planned, I was now leaving in just over 2. I went from having over a month left with my family, friends, and boyfriend, to having to immediately turn in my two-weeks notice at my other job and cancel all the plans I had for the end of August. All my mental preparation for leaving on August 27th was quickly rendered useless and unrecoverable, so you could say I’m not handling my departure or quarantine as well as I should be.
Departure from America, Arrival in Korea, and getting to my quarantine facility:
I flew out at 11 A.M. from the Richmond International Airport in Virginia, after delaying going through security for as long as possible as I said a weepy goodbye to my family. I boarded a short 2 hour flight to Atlanta, Georgia, where I played word scramble with the girl next to me the entire way (which lightened my spirits).
After a short 2 hour layover in Atlanta, I boarded the extremely empty flight to Seoul. 70 people + a MASSIVE airplane = everyone having their own rows to fully stretch out and sleep completely reclined, so it was one of the easiest long-haul flights I’ve ever done! The food was good, the flight was smooth, I took two tylenol P.M.s and let myself pass the freak out — something that is extremely rare for me.
Getting out of the Airport in Seoul took forever, there were multiple checkpoints where they verified your negative COVID test results, looked over your visa, and helped you install an app that you would use for the entirety of your stay in quarantine. I asked the people running these checkpoints how I was going to get to Busan from there, as that was where I was quarantining (it also happens to be on the other side of the country). They said they didn’t know and they hoped that I figured it out, which caused me to panic just a little bit.
But never fear, everything was very organized, and I just kept following the arrows in the airport to grab my luggage and join the group of people waiting for the airport shuttle that would take them to Gwangmyeong Station, which is where the KTX train leaves from. I didn’t have to pay for the shuttle. Because I was struggling with my enormous, heavy bags, and was still a little emotional from leaving the United States and being basically left to figure everything out by myself, a 67 year old Korean man who spoke 0 English decided to take me under his wing and help me the entire rest of the way.
We communicated entirely through google translate, and he told me to call him if I ever needed anything during my time here (not sure how he thinks that would work but the initiative was very sweet.)
At the KTX station, it was very easy to buy a ticket to Busan, I paid 69.000 KRW, which is basically 58 ish USD. I did have to wait an hour for my specific train, but luckily old Korean man was on the same train as me and would be getting off just one stop before me. He bought me a water bottle and snacks out of the vending machine, helped my bags onto the train, and sat across from me until he got off the train in Ulsan.
It took around two hours for me to get off the train in Busan, where we were greeted and immediately directed to a taxi hub, given a covid test and taken to quarantine. My employer booked me a room in a hotel for quarantine, and I simply showed them a photo of the address. It was a cool 2 minutes from the taxi station, and was another ride I did not have to pay for. They took me to a service elevator and sent me straight up to my room.
People I talked to in the line at the airport didn’t have any quarantine booked, however, and they were taken to another facility regardless.
I left my house at 8 am on Monday, and got to my room at 2 am on Wednesday. Although there is a 13 hour time difference, it was a wild ride.
And now I’m here. Going crazy.
Day 1
The hotel I’m staying in is beautiful. My room is a little cramped, but it’s not a problem - I’m just happy to have a western shower for the next two weeks! I hopped in the shower at 3 am to wash the 30 hours of travel funk off of myself, jumped in bed, and settled in for a good nights sleep.
After waking up to the buzzer that announced breakfast, I excitedly got out of bed and brought the breakfast inside. My excitement was quickly DASHED against the rocks as I pulled out some sort of seaweed soup with tiny little fish floating in it, their eyeballs staring right at me.
My initial thought is that they’re trying to starve me out, and I Facetime my boyfriend to make sure that he thinks it looks gross too and that I’m not being overly picky.
I love Korean food, okay? It’s some of my favorite. Also, I’m a garbage can. There’s not really anything that I don’t like, and I will happily eat just about anything. I’m KNOWN back at home for how not-picky I am. I only eat the rice at lunch; the whiff of the food I got as I opened the bag was enough to tell me i wasn’t going to be eating the main course. Dinner is Korean beef which I devoured like an ANIMAL after not eating anything but rice the whole day, I cried, watched a movie, and hit the hay.
Day 2
Day two and I’m already sick of having weird soup for breakfast. I Facetime Brock crying AGAIN, begging him to come make me the incredible eggs he always chefs up for breakfast and wondering why in the world I’ve subjected myself to this. Jetlag is hitting me hard, and day 2 is a blur as I accidentally take a 5 hour nap in the middle of the day. I woke up to lunch and dinner outside my door, and they gave me a pack of INSTANT RAMEN. I hope that this will be a usual thing, and think that maybe I’ll make it out of this alive if so, and my heart literally soared straight into the sky (Spoiler alert, that was the only pack of ramen I got). It was SO spicy, which usually I can’t do, but I could not care less. I chowed that baby right down, ignoring the sweat dripping down my face.
I quickly find out that the nap was a STUPID mistake; I can’t make it through the night, and wake up at 2 the next morning, unable to go back to sleep.
Day 3
Day 3 and I’m annoyed at how little sleep I got and I’m starving. Brock and I Facetime; me waking up so early gave us a little extra time where we were both awake. We’ve found a website called TwoSeven that lets us watch Netflix together, and it’s SO NICE to just spend a longer chunk of time together. I’ve been feeling so lonely and have been second guessing things ever since I got here, but I’m trying to blame that on the time difference, being locked in a room alone, and the actual timing of it all (everyone is back at school and posting about how good it is to be all back together).
We pause the show as breakfast is delivered, and I unbox the food with Brock on camera, expecting to be disappointed once again. I instantly burst into happy tears as I pulled out three hard boiled eggs, a roll with butter and jam, eggs, sausage, tomatoes and hashbrowns. I scarfed it down, but to my dismay, it unfortunately ended up being the only meal I was able to eat that day. Some of the quarantine food is TRULY just God-awful.
Day 4
I woke up to my stomach rumbling, hoping to God that breakfast was as good as it was yesterday. Instead, it was MORE tiny fish and some sort of oatmeal with mushrooms in it. I hesitantly ate the mushroom oatmeal as my family Facetimed from home. It was my brothers birthday celebration, and they were eating his favorite meal and cake. If you said I was bitter it would be an understatement.
Fortunately, the saltiness didn’t last long because then, the miracle hit.
My mom, as all moms would be, was DISTRAUGHT that I was so hungry. So she called her sister-in-law, who happened to know a woman living in Seoul, who they convinced to buy me groceries. A lot of the delivery apps like Coupang, and even Mcdonald’s, didn’t provide a method of payment that my parents or I had; I don’t even have a Korean bank account yet. The groceries were set to arrive the next day, and she sent me Mcdonald’s to tide me over. I felt full for the first time since being here.
The rest of the day, fueled by Mcdonalds, was one of the most productive yet. I worked out, did a Korean lesson, worked on the blog, and researched things to do for when I get out of this place.
Day 5
OMG. The groceries have arrived. Peanut butter, bread, almonds, apples, protein bars, milk, and granola. I’m in Heaven, and breakfast was even one of the good ones today. My spirits are high - I crank out another 30 minute resistance band workout, read my book, practice Korean, work on my blog, and watch a show with Brock.
I think today is the first day that I haven’t cried since being here.
The rest of the food is mediocre, but I don’t even so much as give it a second glance as I slather my apple in peanut butter, make my granola in a mug, and tear into the pack of protein bars. THANK YOU to the chain of people who worked together to get me food. I am forever indebted to you.
Day 6
More mushroom porridge for breakfast, except it’s worse than last time. If this was day 1-4, this would’ve probably made me cry but thx to the groceries I cannot be TOUCHED. I feel invincible, and I chuck the porridge back outside my door and settle in with some more peanut butter and apple slices. Today is another productive, although very repetitive, day. Same old, same old. I’m starting to think that this might be one of my most boring blog posts yet.
Also, look at this MYSTERY MEAT. I once again thanked God for the miracle groceries bc there was no WAY this was going inside me.
If you’re still reading, I love you.
Day 7
I’M HALFWAY THROUGH. It honestly feels like I’ve been in here for an eternity, and when I realized i was ONLY halfway through, it was a little discouraging. 14 days is basically half of a month, which is probably why I feel I’m wasting away in here.
I’m really missing people from home today. With all the time I have in quarantine, it’s easy for me to pick up the phone whenever, but I’ve begun to realize that when my job starts and everyone back home is occupied with school and their own jobs, it will be much harder to make time. I’ve spent the day making a schedule that coordinates Brock and I’s schedules so I know exactly when we’re both free to call.
I’m anxiously awaiting the second episode of Bachelor in Paradise to drop on Hulu. T-55 minutes.
Days 8-10
As day 8 rolls around, I quickly realize the meals are set to repeat every week, so at least now I know what to expect. At this point, in a dramatic turn of events, I’m actually dreading getting out of this room. Shocking, I know.
Here’s what getting out of this shoebox of a hotel room means for me: having to figure out how to travel an hour and a half across town with my massive bags. Scheduling a pick up truck to transport the bed the school provided me (but left me to figure out how to transport to my apartment). Scheduling my appointment at the embassy (they’re only open during hours that I work - not sure how I’m going to figure that out). Getting a prepaid sim card while I wait for my alien registration card to be delivered so that I can try to find a year long plan. Figuring out how to get to work. Having to teach a full day of class immediately upon arrival, without ever having seen the curriculum before. Buying bedding, pots, pans, groceries, and a bath towel. Opening a Korean bank account. Making friends, etc.
I’ve actually been so unproductive the last few days because i’ve been absolutely paralyzed by the sheer amount of everything, and the complete lack of knowledge or credentials I have to succeed. I’m struggling a lot with imposter syndrome and just feeling so inadequate.
Days 11-13
Honestly a blur. I was too paralyzed with fear of what getting out of quarantine would mean for me that I think I watched two entire seasons of survivor and sat in the shower and stared at the wall for the majority of the days.
Day 14!!!!!!!!!
OMG. I made it. In the beginning, I hated quarantine. The food was awful, I was so lonely, my sleep schedule was all out of wack, but the tables turned and towards the end it honestly felt like my safety bubble. I’m a little sad to leave behind that gorgeous shower and start working from 9-6 5 days a week, and have to sort out all the logistical nightmares that moving abroad entails.
I’m excited to start this new chapter, make my new apartment feel like a home, get acclimated to my work schedule, and make some new friends.
Quarantine wasn’t all that bad after all :)
At noon, I checked out, piled all my bags into a taxi, and set off to officially start my year in South Korea.
