How I Survived Lockdowns, Racism, and Riots In a Foreign Country During COVID-19
A story of pain, growth, and Molotov cocktails.
“Coronavirus!”
A few days before the first COVID-19 case was reported in Albania — a few days before our entire world changed — I left a restaurant when two random guys standing outside yelled at me.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but being of Chinese descent, locals thought I was from China. (Some even avoided me as if I had COVID-19.) That, unfortunately, wasn’t the first time I experienced racism in the country—and it certainly wouldn’t be my last.
Thus began the hardest year of my life.
Isolated in a Foreign Country
I spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic alone in Albania. In July 2019, I sold all my possessions and left the US to travel Europe full-time while running my business. After 7 months of exploration, I arrived in Albania for 4 weeks before spending another few months in nearby countries.
But once the first cases were confirmed in the country — and things were rapidly worsening worldwide — life changed overnight.
Since I had nothing left in the US and countries around the world rapidly closed their borders…
