February 2020: Taiworona

a dog i found in taichung <3

Hello there, dear readers. February has come and passed, so it’s time for another monthly update. This is my series where I give updates in life in Korea, my travels, and whatever else has been going on.

The Trials of Taiwan

Let’s get the big topic out of the way first. No, the other big one. I went to Taiwan this past month for ten days. I really loved Taiwan, especially Tainan and Jiufen.

This was my first completely solo trip, and in many ways I really am so pleased I went alone. I did make friends though. On tours, at pub crawls, in my hostel. I hope I’ll keep in touch with many of them :’) Still, there’s really nothing like being free to decide when and where to go, how you want to go, what you want to eat. That kind of freedom made me realize just how indecisive I am. I’d change my mind constantly, and I wanted to see everything. This made me spin in circles, honestly. I told myself, prioritize. Choose something, don’t change your mind. It kind of worked.

I’ll write up several posts for Taiwan, as I always do with my trips. You can expect my itinerary, photos, and write-ups soon. I’ve got all the time in the world. Why? Well…

Corona is King :(

Everyone from back home’s main question these days is: are you okay? Short answer: yes, I’m fine. Long answer: it’s been a long month…and I think this thing is gonna last a while. But hopefully not.

So, like I said, I went to Taiwan this month for Spring Break, another travel decision that gave me a headache prior to take-off. There was some back-n-forth about my going, but this was when Korea had only about 30 cases or so. Taiwan had even fewer, so I felt comfortable going so long as I was careful. Wear a mask, wash my hands, you know the drill.

After I’d left, a patient associated with the Daegu branch of the cult Sincheonji (신천지) went to two services and infected other church-goers, which has led to a spike of a thousand more cases in Korea in just a week.

That was when South Korea went into Level “Red” (unclear on exactly what that entails; we’re assuming fewer flights and no school). I think in general the Korean gov has been trying to stay on top of it—lots of emergency warnings, and school’s shut down another week. Events all over have been cancelled; BTS’s tour dates were cancelled the day after tickets went for sale. If you know anything about BTS, you know that’s a huge deal. Hell hath no fury like a kpop stan…

Another side affect of this is that I’m on home quarantine after returning from Taiwan. I knew this was a possibility before going, and it’s the best decision. I’m currently halfway through my 14 day quarantine.

14 days off? you say. Jeez, what a deal. Well, maybe. Some of my friends aren’t getting paid for their own quarantines. Others are, but are having to use their vacation days for it. I think I’m in the latter boat, but no one really knows. None of this is precedented, and so the protocol is a bit screwy.

I can’t remember the last time I stayed at home for more than 3-4 days. To pass the time, I’ve been replaying my favorite video game series, Mass Effect. That combined with the days off makes me feel like I’m 16 and on Spring Break.

I haven’t really been outside—home quarantine and all. But all that said, Korea isn’t shut down. Sure, a lot of places are closed but many more aren’t. For most people, going out for dinner is fine. Getting coffee is fine. You can do that no problem. So long as you wear a mask and utilize your hand sanitizer, don’t worry.

This is in Daejeon, though. I’ve read Daegu is a different story.

To sum, I’m doing fine these days, a bit bored, but I’ll be updating soon with new content. I hope you’re all doing well, safe and healthy. Let’s hope this ends quickly for all countries.

So it goes. Just maybe with a bit more take-out than usual.