LIVED THROUGH THIS
Quarantining in Korea While America Burns
Being trapped in a box for 10 days can mess with your head a little
Visiting America during the pandemic made me feel like I was about to have sex with everyone; family and friends kept asking if I’d been tested and demanding I wear protection if we were to meet.
I’ve lived in Korea for most of the pandemic — a place where all are masked, most are vaccinated, and, more-or-less, everyone takes it seriously.
When I arrived back in Korea after my visit to America, I was put into a 10-day mandatory quarantine.
This gave me 10 days to reflect on my time in America, the state of the world, and whether I might be an insane person.
DAY 0:
I flew overnight from Boston to Seoul on December 31 at 1:00 p.m.
Seoul is 14 hours ahead — so about six hours into my trip, we crossed the international dateline, catapulting me into January and robbing me of a New Year’s Eve countdown.
At first, I was a little disappointed — then thrilled when I realized that my New Year’s resolution to quit smoking technically just got bumped to 2023.
