Limbo (And not the fun, bendy kind)

Well! No doubt you’re all aware of the upheaval in China due to the coronavirus. It hit at the very worst time, during the Lunar New Year travel season, which I read somewhere is the largest annual human migration in the world. Hundreds of millions of people traveling throughout China and the world. I planned a trip to Tokyo and expected to be back at work on February 3, starting a historical fiction unit. Then, I started seeing news of quarantines, border closings. Our school planned to shut down until February 17 (by order of the government). We were told to prepare online coursework, so I switched to a research unit, which is pretty easy to do remotely. I booked an extra two weeks in a hotel in Osaka, switched my flight, and got on with things. Then the news got worse. Two days ago (maybe three — what even is time?), we learned our school will be closed until at least March 3, possibly longer. I was already struggling with the uncertainty, worries about money and where to go — if I tried to get back to China, would I be held up in Hong Kong? I was pretty much alone in Japan. Some coworkers flew here from the Philippines and I got to have real conversations for the first time in nearly two weeks, and that helped a lot. I talked to my mom and booked a one way ticket back to Idaho to wait things out.

So I’m now chilling out in my last day in Osaka, writing and shopping and drinking coffee. Tomorrow I’ll start my 30 hour travel day. I’ve got The Untamed and Fairyland Lovers downloaded to watch, a ton of fics to still read, and a few WIPs to tinker with.

I will admit, my head has not been in a good place the last few days. I am so incredibly grateful for the online support of friends and family. I cannot imagine doing this in pre-Internet days. I would have thrown myself in front of a train. As it is, I have people all over the world willing to lend a digital shoulder and send virtual hugs, enough to keep me safely on the platform for another day. I’m so very very grateful, truly.