Preface: Today I tested positive for covid. In order to keep my sanity, I’ve decided to write each day because I have no idea how long I’ll be in quarantine. They told me it’ll be anywhere from 3-14 days, but realistically things are leaning towards the later. This writing is also going to be largely unedited, so I’m sorry for any typos!

A day ago I had gotten an email saying that in one of my classes (not sure which one, that’s confidential) one of my classmates (not sure who, once again, that’s confidential) had tested positive for the dreaded Covid-19 and that It was highly encouraged that I get a test myself, just to be safe.

So today I headed down to the sparsely furnitured room. There were 6 tables all together, each with a small testing kit on each far end. I had never taken a test before, so one of the workers walked me through it. Stick a cotton swab up the nose, rotate 3 times, and repeat in the other nostril. Swirl the swab into some sort of clear liquid in a vile, drip three drops on the test and wait 10 minutes. Sure enough, within 5 minutes a faint blue line appeared on mine (indicating positive). My heart sank a bit, but it was so pale that the worker deemed it “inconclusive” and sent me to a different office to get a more sophisticated test done but to treat me as positive, just to be safe. I later learned that they took my test to someone else, and they confirmed that I was positive.

This test was a little bit different. This worker had a longer swab, and had to do the test for me. She stuck it much further up and had to rotate it 10 times. The feeling was unlike anything I had felt before- she prodded into a crevice I didn’t even know existed, and drew out a feeling akin to a sneeze that just wouldn’t come. The moment she removed it, a flood of mucus dripped down my throat. “The test result will come back anywhere from 3 to 10 days, but honestly that’s a generous estimate,” She informed me. I would have to quarantine in an isolation room till then.

I marveled internally as I headed back to my dorm to begin gathering my stuff about how quickly one can become ‘other’. People with Covid had sort of always been ‘other’ to me. Numbers were just that-- numbers. I never knew anyone who died because of Covid, or even officially gotten diagnosed. There was only one case where they thought they might have gotten it at one point, “but then again”, they said. “It might have just been a cold.”

A couple of hours later, I got my key and instructions on how to get to my new room. I ended up packing two bags. One with my clothes, toiletries, and similar items, and one with all of my school supplies. I actually ended up getting my laundry basket to carry the last and more bulkier of items- my bedding and shower supplies. The room itself was nice for the most part. The main room was much larger than my regular dorm. It has two twin sized beds, one fitted with sheets, a thin blanket, and a surprisingly comfortable pillow. It also has a higher ceiling, and bigger space in general. two oak desks sat in the corner with matching chairs, and odd cabinets reached to the ceiling with cupboards that I couldn’t reach, even with aforementioned chairs. I was also happy to see that my room also included a microwave and a mini fridge! The best thing by far, however, was the bathroom. In my other dorm there was a community bathroom that often had at least one other person showering. Here, however, the shower was much larger and the shower head had different settings. The water pressure was still a little weak, but that’s to be expected. There are a couple of other downsides as well. For one, I’m at ground level just by the sidewalk so I can’t open the windows if I want any privacy. And the other main thing is that the walls are very thin here. If I try hard enough, I can hear what other people are saying on either side and above me. I’m beginning to appreciate how lucky I was living on the top floor.

Already I’ve settled in some. My things are strewn across the striped carpet (I’ll pick it up tomorrow. It’ll give me something to do). I put away the food that was delivered to my door into the fridge and shelf. I had a mushroom sandwich with mustard, lettuce and tomato for dinner along with chips and pineapple juice. I miss being able to choose my meals already. I took a nice long shower. The constant sounds of people talking, walking, and driving by are slowly becoming background noise. The fridge’s inconsistent humming is a bit harder to get used to though.

I emailed my professors and rowing coach to let them know what’s going on. While I’ve only heard from one so far, they’ve been incredibly supportive. Coach let me know that I shouldn’t feel guilty and that it wasn’t my fault, which was very nice to hear. I was supposed to race in a couple of days but now I won’t be able to. The season ends soon and I am very disappointed that I won’t be able to participate in any races this time around. It was supposed to be my first one too! My teammates will do great, I’m sure of it.

I think writing will keep me sane. It’s like cleaning up a dirty room- or at the very least, moving all the mess somewhere else for someone else to deal with. I plan to write every day I’m here (however long that is) just as some sort of record.

To be honest, I mostly slept. I woke up around 7, but fell back asleep until 12.

It was like the moment I accepted I was sick, my body let in a flood of symptoms that either it was holding back, or that I was in denial about. My throat was coated in phlegm, and I had a headache that lasted most of the day. Although I didn't have a feaver, I had a constant chill that might have just been the result of the poor heating.

Really, the only thing I'm worried about is garbage. I try to wash the extra food left over to minimize any smell, but theres stuff that I can't wash out. I also don't have any cleanign supplies (not even hand soap!) except for a spray bottle of pure isopropyl alchohol and bath soap.

I also had a food delivery around 1, which I wasn't expecting until sunday or monday. I struggled to fit everything into the fridge, but I'm glad I managed it because otherwise some of the food would have gone bad. Most of the food was fine, except for a bottle of orange juce that expired in January. Part of me wonders if it would still be good to drink, but its a dull orange/brown color with chunks sitting at the bottom. So, probably not.

Breakfast around 7: cinnamon cheerios and milk.

Lunch around 3: mac and cheese with tofu that had some sort of... barbeque sauce poured over it? I didn't really like the tofu, but the pasta wasn't half bad.

Snack: blue berry yogart that somehow tasted of alcohol.

Dinner at 7: grilled cheese reheated in a microwave- the bread turned soggy yet chewy. It was still pretty good compared to some other food I've had. There was also pasta salad with regular salad on the side.

Already I can feel the cabin fever setting in. I still don't feel comfortable opening the blinds, but I did prop the window open for a bit. I've heard from most of my teachers now, but its hard to find the motivation to respond. I still haven't heard from the one I'm the most worried about. She only gave us 3 days to be absent efore she starts taking away points from our grades, which I thought was foolish since we are still in the middle of a pandemic. I wonder how she's feeling about it now.

Today was actually a pretty good day. Once again, I woke up at 7, ate breakfast then went back to bed, only to wake up again at noon.

When I was still half asleep at noon, contemplating whether or not it was worth it to get up to do nothing, I head a couple of people yelling outside, some 10-20 feet away. It took me a while to realize that they were yelling my name, and that I knew their voices. I pulled aside the blinds, and as I blinked groggily in the sunlight, I see my brother and two of my uncles standing with their backs towards my window, looking for me. I rapidly tapped on the glass before they walked any further away. It was great to see them! We talked about everything and nothing- how I was feeling, what had been going on, what college was like for us- and the like. We joked about doing a jailbreak. They stuck little items they found outside to my window (two ferns, a golf tee, and a blue guitar pick), and told me to call them if I needed anything like moral support. One of them gave me their HBO account, so I could watch all of the Studio Ghibli movies :) My voice was cracking and sounded hoarser than I had ever heard it. I think it was because I hadn't spoken for 2+ days.

After they left, I settled down to watch a movie that I had been wanting to watch for a while, but never had the chance to- Kiki's Delivery Service. I really enjoyed it! I related to the protagonist a lot.

I knew they would likely visit again before they left to go back home, but after 8pm came and went, I sort of lost hope. luckily, they didn't disappoint. In fact, they brought me a burger and fries! Not just any cheap food either. We were able to pry open the screen wide enough to slide the box of food through. It was the best stuff I had in a while. I was in good spirits for the rest of the night, and slept well.

Not so good. I woke up at noon, and had two bowls of cinnamon toast crunch (extremely sweet, but not too bad) and couldn't get a clear head for the majority of the afternoon. I had a headache, and I had such an odd nauseated feeling in my stomach that I honestly couldn't tell if I was hungry or not. I've had this problem pre-covid, but I think this time it was just because I felt terrible overall. I had chills, too, though no fever (yet). My temperature was actually a little low for what it usually is, but then again I took it when I just woke up.

Tomorrow is Monday, meaning I have a single online class that I need to attend to (psychology). This is great because I need to do something. I don't know if I have the brain power to actually understand whats going on, but at least I'll get a bit of a workout. I've been feeling more stir crazy. My room is feeling smaller and smaller, but I can't imagine what it would be like in my original dorm, which is close to half the size. I kept looking out the window at people walking around. I don't get much sunshine here, and part of me wonders if that's part of the problem. Why my sleeping schedule is so messed up. why I feel anxious and like I'm pacing a cage. I feel almost dizzy/light headed and I wonder if its because I haven't been taking my iron.