Keep calm and carry on

I arrived in England on Monday morning and I was angry. Angry with myself for the first time in as long as I can remember. And I don’t mean an occasional passing thought like, “Damn, why did I do this?”  I mean I was angry with myself for disrupting my entire life again. Angry that I thought it would be a good idea to leave my home. Angry that I was not in Chicago where I was comfortable. Just angry. This was a new feeling for me and it only made me angrier when I realized how angry I was. It was a vicious cycle. Unlike when I arrived in New Zealand and had my friend Daniel to completely take care of me on arrival (he let me stay at his house and use his car while he was gone the first weekend and then we went camping with friends the next)... this time I had nothing but lockdown to look forward to and it felt really depressing. 

It didn’t help that the only two people I talked to in the airport (in separate conversations), were a bit appalled at my decision to move to London and questioned why I would make such a choice. They actually made me feel like I had to justify my plans, the ones I’ve been working towards for six months. And as I was getting out of my Uber at my new temporary home London was getting unseasonably cold weather… with snow. It wasn’t the best introduction.

Fortunately I didn’t have work on Monday due to Easter weekend, so I was able to focus on taking care of myself. I did what I always do when I’m depressed or sad or caught up in feelings I don’t want, I slept. I didn’t unpack or change clothes or do anything at all. I crawled into bed, pulled up the covers and slept. Then I slept some more. At some point I unpacked, changed and showered. And then I slept some more. I slept 13 of the first 24 hours I was here. By Tuesday morning, when it was time to start work, I was feeling much better and although not completely myself I was ready to go.

 

The Covid Rules

Upon entering the UK, because the United States isn’t on the red list, I wasn’t required to stay in an isolation hotel. However, I was legally required to be locked down at my home or residence with explicit instructions not to leave, even for a walk or food (fortunately my Airbnb host did a shopping trip for me before my arrival). Every day at a random time the government checks in to make sure I am isolated and at home. On day two (or in my care before) and day eight, I am required to be tested with a swab down my throat and up each nostril. It's not pleasant. If I want to leave quarantine early I can opt in to the Test to Release scheme to be tested on day five. Assuming it comes back negative, I can leave as early as those results are returned. If I weren’t to do the Test to Release scheme or if I have a positive test, I’m required to stay fully isolated until my results from day eight are returned with a negative test result. 

Let the isolation commence…