7 Day Quarantine Turned 14 :'(

As a foreigner entering Korea I was subjected to a mandatory 7 day quarantine upon my arrival. As a holder of a student visa and qualifying as a "longterm visitor" I was allowed to choose from a variety of quarantine stays offered by Yonsei University, the Korean Government or at my personal apartment I would be living at during the duration of my semester in Korea. Being a germaphobe and a control freak the only logical answer was choosing to quarantine at my own apartment, free of the horrors of potential unsanitary facilities, bad food and worst of all...carpet (the amount of germs living on carpet would astound you). If you are like me and elect to quarantine at a personal residence it is essential that you prepare a proof of residence for the quarantine staff to verify legitimacy. This can range from a rent contract to a signed letter from your landlord or in a desperate situation a phone number for the quarantine staff to call (just pray that your accommodation answers the phone or you're in for a long wait). The next important thing you need to know about is the Korean government's quarantine app that I mentioned in my last post. In the app you will twice a day submit a health screening but do not be fooled its primary purpose is to use your phones GPS function to track your whereabouts. If you are like me the first question that popped into your head was "can't someone just leave their phone at home and just outsmart the system" WRONG DEAD WRONG, I was notified that the app would send you notifications to move your phone around and if your phone stays stationary for a prolonged time and someone will call you to check in on you. In case you were wondering violating your quarantine will not only get you deported in a blink of the eye but you face up to 1 year in prison and a 10 million KRW fine (that's 8.4k USD for those of you playing at home). Finally, you are subject to two COVID tests, one within 24 hours of arrival and another two days before my quarantine is lifted.

Next is Derren's foolproof plan to surviving quarantine life! Like any survival situation you have to assess your surroundings, for me that was identifying if electrical outlets were in advantageous locations and sanitizing everything in my apartment twice with anti-bacterial wipes and once with a generous amount of lysol. Your next priority is securing both food and water, for me I was very eager to try out Korea's food delivery scene as I heard it was lightyears ahead of anything America could sniff. On a somewhat disappointing note the major players in the food delivery game like Yogiyo, Coupang Eats and Baedal Minjok can only be paid with Korean credit/debit cards or with an established Korean bank, both of which can not be set up while confined in quarantine. I ended up using Shuttle, a food delivery app that accepts foreign credit cards with no problem, however the only drawback is that the food options are not nearly as plentiful as those on major platforms. Still I must say with a wide array of quality delicious food options, I had tons of fun taking in the full Korean food delivery experience. Finally, so you don't go stir crazy I recommend finding something to keep your mind off the internal ticking clock in your head. My go to's were going down the YouTube rabbit-hole, Korea specific Netflix and finally compiling a very extensive Google Sheet filled with restaurants, sights and experiences I wanted to soak in during my study abroad.

Unto some of the challenges I faced during my quarantine process...I would say the biggest and scariest challenge I faced is the fact that you are not allowed to leave your quarantine to dispose of any trash nor are you allowed to leave it outside of your door for anybody to collect. The idea of living with food waste for a whole week is terrifying for hygienic reasons but I must say serves as an excellent motivator for clearing your plate at every meal. I did receive some good advice that if you do find yourself with leftover food waste, the smartest and most sanitary solutions is to freeze it to avoid any of the unpleasantness that comes with food decomposition. My second gripe was the fact that I spent nearly the first two days of my quarantine trying to figure out how to operate my new fangled Korean thermostat. Unlike in Hawaii it is ridiculously cold in Korea this time of year so learning how to operate the heating system which controls the room temperature, heated floors and water boiler is essential. Thankfully, using a combination of Google Translate and the internet, I was able to stumble through the basic functions and I finally mastered my thermostat.

Finally, you all must be wondering why my title is what it is and in regards to that during my second COVID test two days before I was due to be released I tested positive for the dreaded COVID. After the initial stages of panic and dread I was unsure of what the protocols were especially as a foreigner who didn't even complete his initial quarantine process. The local health center where I was tested reached out to me via text the following day informing me that the protocols are an additional 7 days of quarantine including the day that I got tested. Luckily I was asymptomatic, no fever, chills or any inkling that I might be infected and sick, all in all I consider myself very lucky to already be isolated from my family and friends mitigating the risk of exposing anybody I care about. I would say the hardest part was resetting the clock back to the full 7 days, but hey I guess we're all bound to get catch COVID sooner rather than later and while the circumstances are not exactly ideal a clean bill of health in exchange for a small setback to the start of my study abroad adventure is something I'll take 365 days a year.

All in all, my quarantine experience was very pleasant a solid 4.5/5 grade from me. Knowing the worse case scenario that could've been I am extremely grateful for how things turned out. I was able to enjoy the art that is Korean food delivery, game plan my must-do's in Korea and most importantly enjoy some much relaxing peace and quiet away from the world and other people. Thanks everyone for bearing with me through my last two blog posts, I know they haven't been as fun but rest assured from here on out it'll be filled with yummy foods and fun touristy Korea things that'll ensure I earn the envy of you reading! Until next time! :')

<3

Derren