Perspectives from Day 12

Today marks Day 12 of our hotel quarantine. I'm not going to lie, it has got harder as we've racked up the days, so here's how it's actually looked for us.

Our laptops have been absolute workhorses - streaming Netflix and Disney+, watching a myriad of Youtube videos, shopping for kitchen appliances, phones, cars, and researching our upcoming kitchen reno.

We've paced the length of the room a number of times each day, going for a 'walk to the coffee shop' and back again - Cameron more often that me by a long margin.

We've done a lot of liaising with our rental agent about the state our house - our parents have been by frequently to resuscitate the garden and suss out the inside, so we've been going back and forth sorting that out. 

Meals have been one of the hardest things to get used to - while the food isn't awful (the flavours are generally quite good), it's also no longer...exciting. We get a newsletter most nights, with the menu for the next day, a couple of puzzles, and a note from the hotel's GM. I've taken to not looking at the menu to try and maintain some enthusiasm for our food-knocks (they deliver the food in the hall, knock on the door, and you have to wait til they're no longer visible before you can collect it). There's a heavy focus on carbs - white rice, couscous, polenta, white bread rolls - and that's been a hard adjustment since we're used to eating mainly wholemeal and seeded carbs. Salads and veggies are few and far between and often if something's roasted, by the time it arrives on our doorstep, the crispiness has transformed to sogginess thanks to the sealed alfoil containers. Don't even get me started on the scrambled eggs or breakfast fritattas....

We caved this week and requested a banh mi delivery from a friend and my god, was it the most delicious thing ever. For those of you in Adelaide, Miss Mai makes the BEST roast pork banh mi AND they give the option of wholemeal rolls. It was the first time in a week that we'd eaten the entirety of a meal and I didn't eat ANY of my dinner because I was so full. What a wonderful change :D 

There were a couple of days right in the middle where we fell into a slump, feeling quite flat and depressed. We realised part of it was because when we had come into quarantine, we smashed through a bunch of our life admin tasks, so we had nothing left (or thought we had nothing left) to really use our days to achieve anything with. Silly us. There was still plenty for us to do, but that's one piece of advice we'd give to anyone in the same situation - spread that shit out! Ration your jobs to one to two per day - your overall mental health will be the better for it. 

Cameron's been pretty diligent doing some form of exervise each day, whether it's yoga or a HIT class. Me .... less so. 

The daily calls from nurses and SAPOL have been pretty good. You never know when they're going to come, and the nurses are always super lovely. We've generally had a different person each day, and same with the SAPOL. It's interesting to see who has a sense of humour, who's perfunctory, who's hella Aussie. 

We also haven't watched anywhere near as much tv as we expected and a large part of that is down to not being able to hook our external hard drive into the TV or access streaming services through it. Both a shame and not.

We definitely think the next two days are going to be harder, as we wait for the final Covid test to come back negative, and watch the clock tick down on our remaining time here. 

One thing that's made this experience better than I expected was the hotel. The Stamford Plaza here on North Terrace has been incredible - their staff are professional and caring, they provide the aforementioned newsletters daily (or across a couple of days depending on public holidays/weekends), and they have created a Facebook group where they post games and foster interaction amongst us quarintinees. In the 12 days we've been in, staff have played 2 x Pictionary games, 1 x guess how many snakes are in the jar, and 1 x set of bingo. We have won 3 of those games >.> That's contributed to our overall enjoyment, no question, but for the hotel to put in the time and resources for these games, that's not to be underestimated or underappreciated. 

Quarantine has had it's moments but overall, it's such a necessary thing. We're so grateful to soon be out and able to walk freely in the streets, to hug our family and friends, and that's because of mandatory things like this. Having come from a country where Covid is running rife, it's definitely given us a better appreciation and perspective for what Australia is doing and how it's handling the pandemic. 

The ins and outs of coming home and the early days of quarantine

When we were packing up and preparing to leave Glasgow for our return to Adelaide, it wasn't without a little bit of trepidation. It's not just the emptying of a flat, the packing up of our things, but the travelling during a world-wide pandemic, that really got us a little...uncertain. So for those of you who might be doing this sometime soon, or perhaps you're just curious about what the experience was like, here's what happened to us.

The one major thing required of us before heading to the airport was to get a negative PCR test. It needed to be done within 72 hours of stepping through the gate onto our flight out of the UK and needed to be booked and paid for with a medical room instead of going through the NHS, whose free tests are only for those exhibiting symptoms.

I've had a couple of tests now - one I administered myself, one done for me in a drive through testing site, and then this one, which was by FAR the most uncomfortable, done by a nurse. It was over within seconds though and then we just had to wait for our results to be emailed though. 

Two days later, we and all our bags - 4 checked, 5 carry on - were collected and taken to the airport. 

We were concerned with the weight of our bags because though we had a travel scale, it wasn't necessarily accurate. Our worry was justified when we found out we were 10 KILOS over....but the attendant didn't bat an eyelid and checked them through. All the way to Adelaide. We had expected to collect them in London since we were overnighting there before getting on the connecting flight the next morning, so to have the weight of those bags removed from the picture was just such a massive relief. I was also crazy relieved that I had the foresight (and no room elsewhere) to pack our change of clothes for the next two days in our carry on along with basic toiletries...

This relief was felt even more when we arrived in London and realised that to get to our hotel, we needed to catch a public bus (free, at least) 15 minutes down the road and then walk a further 5. It was awkward enough with our carry on bags but to had to have done it with our suitcases....yeah no. 

Security in Glasgow was painless and quick, and all that was open was the Boots apparently - I can't confirm this since our gate was too far from where that was located. Vending machines were operating but that was it - no coffee outlets, no duty free stores, no food outlets. It felt like a ghost town. 

The sun was out as we flew out of Glasgow - we saw snow on the mountain tops and so much green, which is such a lovely last memory of our home for the past year.

We disembarked at Heathrow, figured out how to get to our aforementioned hotel, and got checked in. Thee place had such a strange vibe - the bar and kitchen were closed though they were offering room service for meals and it just had a classy hostel feel. Our room was basic but clean, but our focus was on finding out where our results were for the PCR test. They were meant to have been emailed out but neither of us had yet receivd them and it was now 4:30pm on the Friday and our flight was due to leave at 7:30am the next morning. We called to follow up and it was clearly a call they were used to receiving because they told to look in our spam folders...a mystery to them and to us why the test results end up there, but at least we had them! Negative to boot. I felt like we had cleared our last major hurdle.

Neither of us slept particularly well that night, paranoid we would miss the 4am alarm I had set since our flight departed at 7:30am, but we were fine. We left the hotel at quarter to five, walked the five minutes to the bus stop, and within 15 minutes, we were heading back to the airport. 

There was only one other family ahead of us clearing security and then we got ourselves some breakfast. There were more places open in Terminal 5 of Heathrow than had been at Glasgow - Pret, Starbucks, a few duty free stores. It felt so much more like a normal airport experience despite the signs on every second or third seat to enforce social distancing. 

When it was time to board, we presented our ticket, our passport, and then our test results on our phone. The staff took a photo of each of the results....and then we were through. Not gonna lie, taking that first step past the gate, one step closer to the plane to Adelaide, felt so exciting.

Seven hours later, we were at Doha and stepping out of the plane, onto the tarmac and straight into a waiting bus.  The taste of air reminded me so strongly of home - the cool but warm air, right before a storm. The sky was grey with these thick clouds and I hadn't felt that sort of weather for over a year. Different country sure, but it was more like home than Scotland's weather had been!

We'd never been to Doha before but the signs were clear, staff were interspersed throughout so asking questions was easy, and it wasn't crazy busy. It felt so manageable. What we didn't expect was to have to go through another security screening right before the gate onto our final flight. I had to skull the last bit of water I had from the earlier flight, and throw out the drink I'd purchased on the other side of the previous security screen, so that was a bit frustrating.

Then finally on to Adelaide.  I nearly cried when I said that to Cameron as we walked onto the airbridge. 

Travelling through the three airports, there was no point in which we felt unsafe or at risk. All staff were wearing PPE, hand sanitiser abounded, masks were mandatory...there were the occasional idiots with the mask below their nose, but they were fewer and further between. And we had no qualms asking people to pull the mask back up.

Across all legs of our journey, the cabin crew were all incredible. Attentive, friendly, and always, always so safe and conscious. 

When we landed..... seeing such familiar landscape, the yellowed grass, bleached tarmac, and the classic Qantas kangaroo was the best homecoming. The wave of warmth as we stepped onto the air birdge (it was basically a sauna in the 43C heat), the Aussie accents as staff guided us down the hall and into lines - I felt such an overwhelming wave of gratitude for my home. 

We moved slowly through, getting our tmperature checked, changed our masks to new ones provided by staff, and sanitised our hands ahead of moving into the customs room. The customs officer welcomed us home - he hasn't seen too many South Aussies come through so that was lovely. Then we collected our luggage, stacked it all on a trolley, went through the declaration of goods, and waited until there was 20 of us before we were lead out to one of four buses heading for the Stamford Plaza.

Our luggage was loaded on by officers/volunteers/staff, we sanitised our hands again and boarded. 

We were driven to our hotel and wow, seeing our city after so long away, seeing the shop fronts, the Market, the streets....it was so familiar and I don't think I'll take it for granted again. Or at least not for a very long time lol.

On arrival, we were told to stay on the bus and only disembark 3-4 people at a time, from the front first, to further minimise any contact with others. Our luggage was pulled out from the belly of the bus and lined up ready for collection as we all slowly came out, and were gradually led into the lobby to be checked in. The front of the hotel was blocked off from traffic and had so many police officers, staff, and medical/covid marshalls around. Inside, we were marked off a list, asked if we had a room prefernece (non/smoking) and were assigned a room. At the next desk, two police officers checked our passports and told us the rules - don't leave, don't be a dick, otherwise we'll fine you. Essentially.

Then a staff member took us up to our room and gave us the good oil - a nurse would contact us in the next 24 hours, someone from reception would call us to get a card number for incidentals, and otherwise, stay sane. 

We got a really decent room - I had tried not to get our hopes up but we have a view across the river, the casino and down to St Peters, a window that opens, a decent desk/counter space, and plenty of floor space for our luggage and a bit of exercise. The bathroom is compact but lovely and Adelaide water, on a scale of London's harsh excuse for water to Scotland's pure deliciousness, sits somewhere in between.

We hooked in to the wifi eventually, unpacked a little - toiletries mainly - and then dinner arrived. Each was packed in a paper bag, with plastic cutlery and....wasn't bad. We were overtired, hungry and not hungry and eating salmon out of a foil takeaway dish didn't really excite either of us. Saying that, there was nothing wrong with the food and each meal since has been pretty decent. Definitely nothing to complain about.

Each medi-hotel is different, so there were a few things we were pleasantly surprised about. First, we had a set of cutlery and plates provided for us to use as we wish, so there was no need to eat out of alfoil containers with plastic if we didn't want. We aren't able to use the laundry service but we had a bag of cleaning supplies provided, including a few sachets of washing powder. Deliveries are allowed (care packages, uber eats, etc) but each one costs us $2.50 - to cover the cost of the staff member who has to don PPE to deliver it to us. We only have a kettle and a bar fridge so we're pretty limited with what we can store/do beyond the food that gets delivered to us. Meals are delivered three times a day: breakfast between 8-10am, lunch between 12-2pm, and dinner between 6-8pm. 

Dinner that first night - salmon, tomato veggies, roast (soggy) potatoes, a bread roll with butter, and a coconut yoghurt thing that tasted like moisturiser.

Day 1's breakfast - spinach and mushroom frittata, bacon, bread roll and butter, orange, orange fruit box, and a small bowl of Corn Flakes with milk.

Day 1's dinner - butter chicken with white rice, garnished with dried shallots, bread and butter, and an apple pie.

We get three Covid tests - on the 2nd, 6th and 12th day, and once the last test comes back negative, we are free to leave on Day 15. The day we arrived/checked in is considered Day 0. There is a lack of access with our tv - we can't use streaming services or plug in our external hard drive so we're limited to watching things from our laptop or settling on free tv. We get a daily newsletter with the next day's menu, some puzzles, and other bits of information. 

The hotel has also set up a Facebook group so we can chat with others and have another way to speak with staff. It's honestly feeling like such a well organised and thought out operation here. 

Fun fact - our first test actually happened on Day 1. Possibly because our Day 2 fell on Australia Day, but either way, it was a day early and was the most gentle, painless one yet. It made me so relieved lol. We think the test here also takes the sample from a different part of the mouth than in the UK - there it's from the tonsils, here it felt more like the roof of the mouth and around the wisdom teeth area. If anyone reading this can confirm, I'd be interested to know since the experience was just so different!

We received the first call from a nurse on Day 1 (by the time we had checked in and sorted ourselves out on Sunday night, it was after 8pm), which we'll receive every day for the duration of our stay to keep tabs on any symptoms that might develop, check on our mental health, and just be a bit of a support network for us. On top of that, around 8pm, we got a call from SAPOL - our daily check in (though times will vary) to make sure we were in the room and not gallivanting about the place. 

Our first care package arrived too! Apparently a simple process to drop off - you filled out some details like your name, the time of delivery, and who it was for, then left it on a table for staff to take. My god was I grateful for the Bakers Delight goodies - I've been dreaming of a Cheesymite for weeks <3 

NB: since then, we've received another 3 parcels from family and friends. We're definitely feeling spoiled and very, very lucky!

I'll write another update on the quarantine as we draw nearer the end but otherwise, I hope you've enjoyed this insight into our past few days!

Leaving Glasgow

 We are in our serviced apartment. We have minimal food. One serve of milk left for a coffee. Our luggage is scattered across the floor. We've sent off the modem that served us this past year and are waiting for the power company to confirm we're no longer contracted to them. We bought a new suitcase, had a hot water urn delivered, bought another suitcase, and this time had more success. We've banked all the cash we got while selling things on Facebook Marketplace. We've farewelled our new friends. And the next time you hear from me will be from HOME.

Farewell Flat H

 Last week was a blur as we moved out of our Glasgow home but here's a little tour to show you around.

Welcome to our home!

Won't you come in?

These floorboards were great for sliding down with sock-covered feet.

Our bathroom. Loved the mirror. Hated the shoddy silicon job around the bath edge.

All the delicious meals we made came from here. The wine fridges were turned on....twice? A novel idea but one we didn't need. 

Sarah and Daniel's room.

The hub of the home. Lounge, dining room, office, art studio, games den, bird/squirrel/dog watching spot.

Empty of any sign we lived there, with freshly washed floors. 

I only realised as I was pulling these photos across that I had completely forgotten to take a photo of our room. We used it to store everything we were selling in those last few days, along with piles for donations, food bank items, and rubbish, so that final moment was focused on emptying instead of photographing. It definitely won't be forgotten though - none of our time here will. 

Cleaning Out

 Though our return date is still up in the air (and channel 10 running polls on whether UK arrivals should be allowed in to the country is not helping my worry), we are now beginning the process of cleaning up and moving out. Items have all been listed to sell on marketplace for the past 6 weeks, cleaning supplies have been gathered, lists have been made, and packing has begun. 

I haven't been feeling in top form recently, so between that, stressing about whether we're going to get home, worrying about selling everything before our lease ends, and getting everything packed up (have I bought too much? What's multiplied while I haven't been looking?) - it's probably no surprise. 

So focussing on the things that I can do, I've assigned jobs every day between now and when our lease ends, to get our flat cleaned and emptied. My task today was to clean the shower glass of all the limescale and no word of a lie, the Pink Stuff is the one. It was easy to use, not harmful, and gave instant results. We've had similar success using it on the oven so I cannot recommend this product enough...and yes, my post just turned into an unpaid rave about a cleaning product. 

And with one job succesffully completed, one that I had worried over because I've never dealt with limescale, I'm so much closer to being happier and home ><

Edit: Just found out that we have new flights booked with Qatar a week after our original flights. Not only that, but it snowed overnight. Today is a great day :D

Christmas 2020

One Month Left and No More Christmas.

Our flights are booked. The freight company is scheduled. We have a service apartment reserved for the 4 nights prior to our departure. All the items we bought for our flat have been photographed and listed on Facebook Marketplace. I've a written list of everything that needs cleaning, clearing and packing before the end of our lease.

It feels like it's been such a long time coming. This year has gone so slow and I feel like so little has been achieved with it. But these next few weeks I know will disappear. For example, I was meant to post this on the 17th, at exactly one month before we were due to fly out - it's now the 21st. Oops. 

That's okay though. This year hasn't gone to schedule, so why should my blog posts?

The icing on the cake that is 2020 came on Saturday that, rather than the 5 day promised Christmas break the UK had been hoping for, we would now get just one. On top of that, we were no longer allowed to travel between Scotland, England and Wales. Furthermore, another level of restriction has been added and a good chunk of south eastern England is going into lockdown over the festive period.

We had planned, months ago, to travel down and stay with my friend just out of London for those few days, as the last chance to see her and her family before we head home. Nope. 2020 had other plans. Not gonna lie,  I sobbed once Cameron and I confirmed the news. 

I took a day to come to terms with the change in plans. To unpack the bag of presents we had prepared. To repack them into a box to send. To put away the outifts I'd assigned for each day we were away. To adjust our mindsets to spending Christmas by ourselves...and think about what grocery shopping we would need to do to try and make it special.

I have since learnt that Glasgow will go into a slightly less-restricted lockdown from Boxing Day for three weeks, so any last minute shopping, any last minute cafe visits, it all needs to be done....now. What a way to finish our tenure here.