- I guess I don’t actually need “Happy Hour” every day. At the government isolation center (AKA Comfort Suites), alcohol and other drugs are strictly prohibited. They neither serve alcohol nor do they allow outsiders to deliver any. That being said, it will be 15 days or so for me without drinking. I mean, don’t get the wrong idea. I am hardly an alcoholic. However, like many throughout this pandemic, I have enjoyed the more than occasional at-home happy hour with my parents. Indulging in a Bloody Mary or whatever spiked seltzer is trending at the time. (My fav is still Press even though it is so last summer). Arriving to quarantine knowing these happy hours were going to be on hold from 2+ weeks was a bummer. Nothing like arriving in paradise and being denied both the beach and the piña colada that comes with it. I mean THE TORTURE… Anyyyyyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah. I don’t “need” happy hour. Or do I? Jury’s still out.
- Sometimes you just have to turn off the news and binge 48 hours of Sex and the City. Nothing like hours of dysfunctional relationships to make a day fly by. Again, don’t get me wrong. Of course the news is important. Especially now with constant virus-related updates. But sometimes, the trials and tribulations of Carrie and Big’s on-again, off-again romance take precedence. Hopefully I didn’t lose any readership with this one. (**This news hiatus happened over Memorial Day Weekend. A lot has happened even since then that does require our attention)
3. Maybe a rodent in your house is a blessing in disguise? All I know is that after the mouse encounter, life in isolation improved markedly. 1. I got a bigger room 2. I got a hot shower 3. I got a new view which allowed Bryan and I to reunite via the window! Guys, I am the real life Rapunzle. Except my hair isn’t long enough to let down. Maybe next time?
- Education and training is required in the culinary arts of vegan desserts. Let me start by saying that I am very satisfied with the food here and overjoyed that vegan options even exist. Wherever this food is coming from, I give them 5 stars. HOWEVER. The vegan “desserts” they have given me, if you can call them desserts, have been utterly confusing. One night they gave me a cup of rice pudding with corn and an unidentifiable yellowish syrup. Another night they gave me this lump of solid green gelatin? Which is not vegan at all actually. Gelatin is made from prolonged boiling of skin, cartilage, and bones from animals. So that is VERY confusing. Another night they gave me a cooked plantain with frosting. (That one I ate). In conclusion, just give me the damn chocolate chip cookie.
- Literally any space can be used for movement. For example, the recreational space they provided for us (a stretch of a parking lot and a little bit of grass), is not the ideal space to run long distances. ALAS, I have run the mile multiple times in that area during the 20 minutes they allot us. Granted, they are the slowest miles I have ever run but hey, it’s still an accomplishment! Have to make due with the space you have and move your body in any way that you can! Also, thank god for YouTube and its endless library of free workout videos.
- Jamaican juice is delicious and addicting. With most of our meals they give us a bottle of water. However, every once in a while they give us a juice box instead. Which is really funny to me. I am one of those annoying people who reads the label and nutritional contents of food and beverages and I was not surprised to find this little box of juice contains 24 grams of added sugar…about the same as a can of soda. BUT, it is from Jamaica. Which, I don’t know, somehow makes it a superior juice box. So… after hoarding them for a few days, I finally broke down and had one. And guys. This juicebox was EVERYTHING. I have never tasted anything so miraculous. I guess these make up for my rice & corn pudding desserts.
- In the absence of squirrels, chickens are just as fun to watch from your window. That is all. I just love them.
- I guess I like puzzles. I guess I do! My friend Emily, basically my only friend on the island besides Bryan, was kind enough to deliver a few of her puzzles to me at the hotel. I did them in record time and loved every minute of it. What a relaxing, mindless activity. Almost as mindless as Sex and the City.
- Good ideas can come to you when you take time to unplug. This has been such a revelation for me. Never has writing come so easy to me as during this quarantine. I hope that even when I leave here I can maintain this clearheadedness. It has helped me hugely in the creativity department. Not just with the blog but also in working on my Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) store. In a society that equates productivity with success, I have learned that it’s actually quiet time and headspace that give way to really great ideas and energy! And allow you to be even more productive when the time is right! (The time isn’t always right. Sometimes what you need is to watch chickens from the window while draining a Jamaican juicebox).
- We depend on each other. Take time to appreciate others! Not to be overly didactic…I am going to make this short and sweet. But seriously, as independent and strong as you may be, you couldn’t survive for very long without the support of others. I’m so grateful for all the people who made sure I got here safely, for the volunteers who deliver my food and water everyday, and for the friends and family who check in with me to see how I am doing. We all make up a small part of the whole! One day you are the one helping and the next you are the one who needs help. We’ve got this!
So, as you can see I have learned a lot during my time here in government isolation! While my time here is not quite over, this is the last time I will blog from quarantine. I will be taking the COVID test on Saturday (May 30) with hopes of getting the results back in 24 hours and leaving on Sunday. Next time you hear from me I will be free and at home with Bryan! As always, thanks for reading! Until next time 🙂
