Quarantine: Day 1

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.