When I was on my way to South Korea, I had no idea that something big and dangerous in a face of a virus was awaiting around the corner. All I cared about was my health and the voice disorder that I, regrettably, developed and hoped that Traditional Oriental Medicine is exactly what’s going to help me.
When I first heard about the Coronavirus back in January, I didn’t think much of it. After all, there were Ebola, SARS, and MERS-CoV that people went through successfully in the past.
Besides, each year about 290,000-650,000 people die from flu, according to the World Health Organization. In contrast to that, there were about 2100 registered deaths from the Coronavirus worldwide at the moment of my web research back in February.
Wearing a mask in South Korea is as usual as wearing a makeup. The air is supposedly polluted due to the massive amounts of the fine dust released by the Chinese industrial enterprises and factories, and people believe that this is exactly what’s killing the nation.
When I first visited Seoul back in 2019, seeing hundreds of Asian eyes with the masks on their faces seemed kind of creepy. It seemed like they were living in a different reality where people daily have to fight against viruses and infections, and this war will eventually finish the human civilization.
Little did I knew that a year later, I would become one of them: I will come into a pharmacy and buy a pack of KF94 masks, but the purpose of that purchase would be different. “This is the only type that can protect you from the Coronavirus”, explained the pharmacist…
The First Month of the Quarantine:
OMG, Talks about the Coronavirus are Getting on My Nerves!
- Week 1. I had just moved into a new place, and as my new Korean roommate and I were entering a grocery store, she suddenly turned into a mommy “Put on your mask and don’t touch anything!” “Oh my… she is one of those obsessed people”, ran through my head, but I obediently followed her instructions, as the desire to make a good first impression was much stronger than a desire to show my skepticism about the Coronavirus. After all, I come from a different reality, where people don’t wear facial masks as a part of their clothing items.
Week 2. “Di, how was your day today?” asked my roommate cheerfully as she came back from work.
“It was fine. I went hiking with a meetup group”.
I knew I made a mistake telling her about that as I watched her smile slowly fading”Di, you shouldn’t meet with people at this time. The Coronavirus is getting serious. If you get infected, I’ll get infected!”
I have always believed that new viruses emerge either as a part of a big money making strategy for the world’s biggest pharmaceutical corporations or as a geopolitical conflict solving strategy. So, it was really hard for me to believe that the Coronavirus wasn’t about either of them. “OMG, talks about the Coronavirus are becoming really annoying!” my Ego shouted so loud that it almost made me deaf.
Week 3. As I was checking on my Korean friend with the usual “What’s up?” message, I got astonished by his answer “Oh my… Today, I spent 4 hours in a line to get a facial mask”. Why would anyone wanna spend this much time in a line? As I kept asking myself this question, I came across the video:
The Second Month of the Quarantine
Seems like it is a little more serious than I thought
- Week 1. As we walked down the street passing by the Emart where we shopped back a few weeks ago, we noticed no lights and a note on the door: “Closed because for the Coronavirus Quarantine”. “OMG, why? What? Where? Who? When? How?”
The day we shopped in Emart, some infected lady was obviously shopping there as well. The Korean investigation team works really fast in identifying the places and people she could have possibly visited and infected. So, my roommate and I were definitely in the group of potentially infected people, possibly walked next to her when she coughed or touched the same merchandise she did.
In my life, I have experienced schools closing and university classes cancelled because of a flu epidemic, but I have never experienced stores closing because one infected person shopped there. That was the first bell that rang in my mind to let me know the problem is bigger than I thought.
Week 2. “Di, I have a sore throat. Can you take a look, please?”
“Sure, no problem!” And as my roommate opens her mouth, I see noticeable redness in the tonsils area.
“I think I need to take a Coronavirus test as soon as possible.
“Remember, if my test is positive, most likely, you are infected too. A group of people in white will come, spray everything around in our apartment and will take you to an isolator where you will stay a couple of weeks. They’ll take away everything, including your phone.”
“OMG, why? What? Where? Who? When? How?” ran through my mind again. “I don’t want any isolators, I don’t want any quarantines, I don’t want any Korea anymore, I just want to go back home where it’s safe, and there are no viruses”.
“So, did the Corona test results arrive?” I asked my roomie anxiously.
“Yes, it’s negative. Everything is good, don’t you worry!”
“Thanks God, you scared the hell out of me with your sore throat! So, how did it go?”
“The moment I told them I may have the Coronavirus symptoms, a group of people in white surrounded me and quickly started sticking the testing cubs down my throat and my nose. It felt disgusting and scary at the same time”.
“Well, I’m just happy you’re okay, and we don’t need to stay in an isolator for 2 weeks”.
.
Week 3. Thoughts about staying at home in a foreign country for self-quarantine purposes didn’t bother me much. After all, for the past 4 years I have been working from home, and it doesn’t matter for me whether I’m in a hotel in France, apart-hotel in Turkey, or a goshiwon in South Korea. However, news that most countries had banned entries for tourists due to the Coronavirus outbreak did seem quite alarming. It definitely ended my skepticism and doubts, especially after the news about the Coronavirus reaching my hometown.
The Third Month of the Quarantine
What a Korean Quarantine is Really Like
One can stay at home for a few weeks without going crazy, but when it lasts for 2 or 3 months, the ability to stay sane is reducing. We all need Vitamin D and serotonin for the immune system to function properly, and Koreans seem to be a quite conscious about it.
By the 3rd month of the quarantine, I started urging for contact with the nature. So, I started getting out of the house again.
To my surprise, there was not much of a difference in the lifestyle between the before and after Coronavirus breakout in Korea. The only difference was that before the outbreak, MOST people were wearing masks, while during the Quarantine, ALL people were wearing them.
Subways are still full of people, especially during the rush hours.
During the cherry blossom period, hundreds of people were walking in the parks, enjoying the white and pink blossom colors and taking pictures.
Coronavirus is believed to affect mostly the elderly and is considered fatal for them. Well, maybe in other countries, but not in Korea.
Even the movie industry is still actively developing during the quarantine in Korea. I was quite surprised to see 2 film crews working on their projects and 2 TV channels interviewing people in the street while walking in the central part of Seoul in Mapo-gu.
But the only places where fewer people are even wearing masks are National Parks and hiking trails. And there are still thousands of people who hike daily, most of them are elderly.
I must tell, I’m very lucky and quite happy to be stuck in Korea during these difficult times of the Coronavirus outbreak. While in the West, people are being fined for getting out of their homes to buy food or medicine, life is still going on as usual here, and Koreans are still enjoying it to the fullest, so do I!!! 🙂
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