I have mentioned in a few recent posts about the Coronavirus (Covid-19), but I haven't really spoken about how it has impacted me and my interactions with the changes in the society around me because of the virus.
My first realization about the virus and how it was spreading was when I went to Busan. This was mid-January time. I was hearing about it getting bad in China but Korea had maybe three cases at the time. I really didn't think about it yet.
I knew it was something I needed to really lookout for when I was traveling to Japan in early February. I was going to Seoul the night before and as soon as I arrived, I realized the atmosphere felt different. Given, the fine dust levels in Seoul are usually high, so there are always people wearing masks when I go to the city. But it was different this time. Because of the high pollution levels and the virus, everyone was wearing a mask. To the point where I actually felt like I had to wear a mask. I was getting strange looks from people. Truthfully, I always get strange looks from Koreans. It comes with being a foreigner in a very homogeneous country. I did buy a mask though. I knew I would be going through the airport the next day, and I should have it. I really hate wearing masks. They make me feel like I'm suffocating and whenever I have to talk, I feel like I have to shout.
In Japan, I began noticing everywhere I went, I would see signs saying that the staff is wearing masks to protect themselves and the costumers from the virus, as well as big bottles of antibacterial hand gel at the entrance of most of the places that I visited.
The airport wasn't as scary as it seemed like it would be, considering the virus has been mostly spread by traveling, but both in Korea and in Japan, everyone had to go through this additional screening room when entering the country, where you would pass through a sensor that was trying to detect a fever, I think. It was a little intimidating, as it was just a big white room, with not much in it, but I made it through easily of course, and I know it is there for everyone's safety.
Not too long after returning home, it started to get pretty bad here. The number of cases here began to rise very quickly, and it became really serious for a lot of people, especially in Daegu. There are several ETAs whose placement is actually in Daegu, so that is kind of scary. None of them were infected, thankfully.
Now, it seems like the whole dynamic of the country has changed in the last few weeks. Festivals have been canceled, the government has advised people not to go to religious events or worship, and the start of school has been postponed almost a month.
So now, I am pretty much just biding time here in my little town until school starts. We've been advised not to travel outside our placement cities, so most days I've been hanging out at home working on anything that will keep me busy, like my teaching application for back home, my Korean studying, and a bunch more, as well as hanging out with my host siblings who are also stuck at home. It gets a bit tedious and boring at times, but I know I'd rather be doing nothing here, and eventually get to teach again, then go home to do nothing, and be done with my grant here altogether.I'm hoping the situation will improve within this month, so we can return to a semblance of normalcy,, and I can start going around the country again on my weekends and finish out my grant with a bang.
Also, if I can't travel for the rest of the grant, then this is going to be a pretty boring blog for the next few months.
For anyone that is worried, where I am is pretty safe. There are very few cases in my province, lets hope it stays that way.