Returning to the US in the middle of a pandemic
It was all fun and games back in January. I was halfway through my second semester of teaching English in Thailand when news broke of a novel coronavirus. Thailand was the first country outside of China to confirm a case of COVID-19. My friends would send me messages jokingly asking if I had the virus, but things felt under control and nobody seemed to be too worried about it, so why should I? I joked back, no big deal.
It was now March, and life was carrying on as usual. That is until the massive outbreaks started happening in Europe, shortly followed by the United States. It was ironic how just a couple of months ago I had been the center of light-hearted COVID concerns because I was in Asia, and now I was genuinely concerned for my friends and family back home in the US.
As the situation became increasingly out of control in the US, I received a lot of concern from family members who assumed I was dealing with the same disaster over in Thailand. That simply was not the case.
The truth is, I could still travel, hang out with friends, buy things at the grocery store (yes…even toilet paper), and I didn’t lose my job because my students were on summer break.
It’s true that cases were slowly popping up, primarily in Bangkok. The first places to close were bars and gyms which were linked to the majority of cases, shortly followed by malls. Massage parlors in my town closed their doors, and other businesses were being selective with their customers. But for the most part, between temperature checks, masks, and hand sanitizer, I was able to go and do whatever I needed. I still enjoyed a cup of coffee at my favorite cafes and got food from all of my favorite places. And most importantly, I felt just as safe as I had over the past months.
Some countries began closing their borders which is when I fell under a lot of pressure from my family to book the very next flight home. But the truth is I was scared to go home. I felt so safe in Thailand, where my life was still 90% normal. “But things are going to get worse,” they said. True, but what difference did that make if I were going to be in the same situation back in the US too? “It’s better to go through it at home than in a foreign country,” they said. Thailand was not foreign to me. It was my home. It felt more like home in this moment than the thought of reverse culture shock enhanced by a new “normal” as a result of the coronavirus.
Fast forward a few days. Bangkok had essentially shut down entirely and people fled back to their hometowns. That’s when the virus began to spread to more and more provinces. I found myself leaving my house less and less, even getting food delivered instead of going to the beloved markets or the grocery store.
A week of this went by and I finally decided to book a flight home, one week out. I was so nervous to travel — I felt like I was breaking all of the rules that were saying DON’T TRAVEL. I just didn’t feel like my traveling home to the US was essential given that I was not overstaying my visa, and I still felt more than safe and comfortable in Thailand.
Not to mention, my flight got canceled/changed three times, and the third time was the day before my flight. I thought for sure I was going to be stranded in the Tokyo airport (during a 30 hour trip with two layovers, anything could happen). Panic started to kick in, I was ready to cancel my flight when I called my airline. I told them how one of my flights had been changed, and that meant I was now going to have a 30-hour “layover” in the Tokyo airport. What was I going to do? They offered me a new flight route, and instead of canceling I accepted without thought.
Unfortunately, this story doesn’t have a crazy ending. As evening fell the next day, I was on my way to the airport. I had my temperature checked when I entered and proceeded in. I was shocked by the number of people in the airport during this time, although the numbers certainly decreased as I got closer to home. With each flight came fewer passengers. I finally made it home, 30 hours later, with no interruptions.
Now, here I am. Unemployed for the time being and unsure of what the near future holds. I’ll spare you the details of my days in quarantine, as I’m sure you’re familiar with how that goes. I am hopeful that things are going to be okay and we are all going to come out of this stronger and more together than ever before. It’s okay to feel angry, scared, and upset sometimes as we are all human, but positivity is the best medicine anyone can have right now.
