Arrival night
The official sprayed a whole disinfectant on us. We need to spin around so the alcohol gets to all parts. My jilbab felt wet but as long as I don't touch it I don't feel it that much.
We waited for a long time at the front gate. We needed to wait until the observation was for the previous person and then we can go in.
In the observation area.
The doctor checks my blood pressure. It's low. 'don't you feel dizzy'. I was on a diet. No pain no gain. 'do you have any symptoms? A headache?'. Is headache a symptom? Cause I feel it every day. Working life strained my neck and squeezed my brain too much. I can't differentiate that headache from covid headache. Don't ask me about headaches, please.
He shows us the room. The room was pretty okay. But for a perfect stay, it needs some work. So we cleaned what we can. Toss the smelly pillow into a smelly cupboard and forget those things for the next 10 days. Put our clean linen. Make arrangements for the room. Spray the whole area with disinfectant. Wipe them off.
Then I take a shower and try my bed.
Day 1
I tossed around at night. Couldn't sleep. The bed is too jumpy.. too soft for my like. I like the floor better. But I can't sleep on this floor.
The room has a balcony with a view of a lake. And our room was covered a bit with the tree so it was a perfect place. Nature. I missed nature since I was always staying at home since forever...
I shall enjoy this nature. I take a deep breath. A strong smell of alcohol from the disinfectant we sprayed all over the floor attacks my nose. What beautiful nature.
We thought about not eat the antibiotic. After all, I spent a whole lot of time growing good bacteria on my stomach and now I need to take this antibiotic....talk about ruining my digestion. So we ask the doctor whether it is possible not to eat it. But he says when we are weak like now because of the virus, the bacteria can easily come and infected us, and that is not wanted. Alright. Bye, my good bacteria. Maybe after this corona, I will have a new personality as my gut bacteria will change.
The whole day we spent interacting normally until we realize that the virus cycle can be infinite if we don't isolate separately and be careful. Godamn it. Maybe it is better to isolate at home.
We planned to clean the whole room the next morning again and make a new arrangement so we can do social distancing in the same room. But we are too anxious. It was 10 at night. We decided to just clean the room now. I feel like we are volunteer to clean the guesthouse. So much dust and we cleaned it to every corner. Put the tv down and make a corner for everyone's stuff. Make a 'clean' area from sandals. Etc. We created new rules every minute.
Day 2
I woke up and saw a plane slowly pass above the sky. The red light blinking. Feel so melancholy. When will I get to experience that again? Going to a new place with excitement on the plane. That feeling when the airplane takes off. A few moments later a second plane passing by again. Damn it, corona.
My nose feels stuffed. But I have that morning allergy. But this time felt too long. When will it end? Why is it too stuffed? Is it a symptom?
I feel so sleepy. I'm doing an interview with a participant on google meet while pinching my hand to keep me awake. Is sleepy a symptom of corona?
Now everything is suspected as a covid symptom.
Someone sent me pictures of the red covid map in the are, and told me 'Not to scare you, but just information, we need to be careful, the corona is still everywhere'
Oh...well. How careful should I be?
I stayed inside my house for 383 days straight, and after the long isolation, I can count with one hand how many times I went out after that, with fingers left still. Yet here I am. Boo.
My sister told me, she thinks that most probably I got the virus from her, cause we share the same bathroom. She needed to go to her office once a week. I actually can't blame that she works at such a stubborn company that thinks everyone should come to the office at least for a meeting that can actually be done through zoom and despite the fact that they can do their job perfectly at home.
I also can't blame human nature that always has double standards about a lot of things, including hygiene. It's like, you will think throwing your booger under the table is perfectly fine, and you don't even wash your hand after that, just wiping it is okay. But when you spot other people do the same thing, you will feel disgusted and thinks that that person has the dirtiest hand.
And honestly, unless we can see the virus with our naked eyes, it is really hard to determine where is it come from. Remind me when the world ends and we all are in the padang mahsyar waiting for the judgment. I will probably ask God the route of the virus until it gets to me if I have nothing better to ask. Ha.
Well. Still feeling fortunate though, cause my body works better than I thought. Got no symptoms and forget most of the times that I'm 'sick'.
Day 3
The drying rack is so small and the small wings that are supposed to be on each side are gone so we are left with 4 main rods to hang wet clothes. We washed the towels and hang them up there. Sometimes change/fix the position to get better exposure to the sun, check the dryness, etc. My sister's towel's edge is touching my towel's after she fixes the position. That small touch makes my head hurts. Geez. I'm too sensitive to any contact now.
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sunbathing all of mukena, jacket, and sarung whenever the sun is out
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Day 4
One thing that I really like here, is the balcony. The large glass window so I can see outside, the lake. At night, I don't even close the wooden door, I like to see the outside view, even though my sister a little bit freaked out cause she's just a scaredy-cat.
In the morning I open the door and let the morning air come to our room. I stand on the balcony, enjoying nature. And in the afternoon, I sit down on the balcony, while reading a book with the wind blows my hair. I forgot why we are here actually. Fortunately. Thought I was on vacation.
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| The spot to sit down |
Day 5
I kinda miss the feeling of an empty stomach. Here, I always have to eat 3 times a day to eat the medicine. But I feel bloated. Too much eating, too often eating, too much drinking water, and my gut bacteria killed off by the antibiotics. How I miss the feeling of hungry. What an irony.
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| Lunch and snack |
During the observation today, my blood pressure was low. 93/68? Or something, I don't remember. It's the first time since the last low blood pressure on my first day here. 'is there anything you feel? Any symptom?' the doctor asked me. Nothing. Really. I have a headache usually on weekdays, but I don't have a headache on weekends. Don't ask me why and how. You guess.
I wonder if it is because I sleep too early? I used to stay up late and wake up late at home, but here I sleep early, 9 or 10 at night, and wake up very early. Is this diligent early-bird-life is not for me? Will that cause low blood pressure? 'stupid, stay up late will instead cause low blood pressure' said my sister. Ok, my bad.
Day 6
There was this joke between me and my sister in our isolation.
When we need to eat so many medicines, we said 'at this rate, we'll probably die from kidney failure, not covid'
When there are mosquitos on the balcony, we said 'at this rate, we'll probably die from dengue fever, not covid'
When we sprayed too much disinfectant, we said 'at this rate, we'll probably die from intoxicated by disinfectant, not covid'
When we sunbathe at noon cause the sun is just not on our side in the morning, we said 'at this rate, we'll probably die from skin cancer, not covid'
And so on.
Unfortunately, if we die in this isolation, no matter what the cause is, we'll die from covid.
Day 7
Even though mealtime was the thing that we excitedly wait for, the food itself was not so much a part of the excitement. It was more for means of taking a break from work and to mark the time that passed. Time is easily passed when you have something routine in your day, so one by one the mealtime is coming, suddenly it is dinner, and then time to go to bed.
Furthermore, I was weirded by the food given on the first days. Rice is too hard or too watery, the bread is too hard, the vegetable portion is too small, etc. But nowadays I enjoy it. Really. I can finish the portion perfectly and enjoy every snack given. The menu is not a problem for me anymore and I'm already adapted to eat in the morning, and very early on top of that, 7 am.
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| Eat them all now |
Day 8
I kinda enjoy the place, the stress-free, the no noise from the neighbor. On my online meeting today, my colleague asked me whether I can extend the stay, just to enjoy the place. After all, I got a great view, 3 meals a day, a laundry service, and so on, he said. I was baffled at first at how can he think of such a thing, but then the idea rapidly grow on me. It's not bad...actually. Can we actually do that? I don't miss my noisy neighbor back at home for sure.
At night, I was ready to sleep and suddenly a sharp pain, like an arrow shoot my right chest to my back. The pain spread into my right jaw and teeth. I sit back and the pain is gone after around 2 minutes in my mental clock. Finally (not in a good way, I suppose), I have something to tell the doctor tomorrow.
Day 9
We signed up for the PCR. The staff conveniently come to our stay. We just need to go to the observation room and did the test there.
The staff put the long swab inside my nose. Very deep. I think it reached my lung, and my tears just naturally flowing out. After it was done, I felt like the mucus inside was pulled out and came out from my nose. It almost feels like having flu. The first 'symptom' is an after-effect of taking the sample for a PCR test.
During the observation time, I told the doctor about what I felt last night. As it is my first time, he assured me that it is probably not something serious, but I should get checked if it happens again in the future. Alrighty. Am totally prepared for a serious thing. Yeah. No.
Day 10
The last day. To celebrate it, we joined the morning exercise with all the patients.
Eating. Packing up. Cleaning the room. And wondering when will the PCR result come. I checked and refresh my email, nothing.
Okay.
What if one of us still positive? We don't want to be left out so we hope to get just the same result. Preferably negative, if you ask.
The email came.
I download the attachment.
Negative.
Great.
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Bonus pics
Thank you, bye!
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