7 + 3 Xiamen quarantine

 Quarantine has been better than expected. I heard the wifi would be awful and the food inedible. I have nearly perfect wifi, the food is good, and I feel quite relaxed in my space with a big window. I committed a few faux pas by sticking my head out the door to grab my food and shouting “shi shi” 谢谢"Thank you," with no mask on. I didn't finish reading the directions yet, they gave me a whole packet of information. But I took a shower and a nap immediately upon arrival.   You need to put your mask on when you open the door, and really the staff would prefer if you didn’t talk to them at all. Luckily since that incident I have not received any notes or warnings about my behavior. I should be out of here on time, thanks to the wonderful support of the HR team who is helping me to fill out the Fujain province Health code, as well as the Chinese federal health code. There was also the Guangzhou codes... I have a lot of QR codes on my phone now. I also need to check WeChat often to find out my status, alive, dead, deported... I will need to be cleared after a week of negative covid swabs and temperature checks.

Wear your mask when you
open the door 

Friday September 2 is my checkout date and I fly to Guangzhou. I will be transported by ambulance to my apartment, where I need to stay in three additional days of quarantine. The furnished apartment is all set up, I heard from others they wanted for nothing. I am told there is even cash waiting for me. A nice welcome!

I was given a lot of information in preparation for this experience, and these tips were the most helpful. 

• Don’t bring more baggage than you can handle by yourself
• pack everything you might need for the week, it’s almost impossible to get anything extra. 

I’m pretty low maintenance but I do have a healthy appetite. I brought way too much extra food, I only needed to bring the tuna packets, and the oatmeal packets. The rest I haven’t touched, but it’s better to have too much than too little. I was told that the catering doesn’t include fresh fruit, but I have been given fruit at every meal, I wish I brought my watercolor set to document the beauty… 😉The delicious green plums are new to me, but the asian pear and apples are also appreciated. 

Good fortune fruit from Fliport Hotel

Parvana's Journey by Deborah Ellis
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/834019.Parvana_s_Journey

One of the best things during this quarantine was discovering Deborah Ellis, I read a young adult novel called “Parvanas Journey” which was absolutely heart rending. It reminded me of "Grave of the Fireflies," the animated film by Miyazaki. It is about a girl who is wandering war torn Afghanistan looking for food and shelter. Absolutely gutting at times, but an excellent story of overcoming obstacles and making it through something very hard. It is a good book to read in quarantine because if you ever want to complain about anything, you realize someone out there is dealing with a lot more problems. In addition to Taliban unrest in Afghanistan, nearby Pakistan is dealing with horrendous flooding. Seriously, can these people get a break? Im grateful I packed this book, a perfect one for me during this time.

After the three days of quarantine in my apartment in Guangzhou, I will have some clerical tasks, such as getting.a Chinese SIM card, and bank account. There is also a medical exam of some sort. Then I go to work on campus at my new school and start doing library classes almost as soon as I walk in the door! This is new for me in every way, I am excited for the adventure. I'm looking forward to pointing students towards good books and helpful information.