Isabella Gualano
After living in limbo for the duration of June, July and August the email I had been waiting for finally arrived: my scholarship had been approved by Taiwan! This meant I could not only finally plan my arrival, but I could also answer the question that had haunted me all summer “when are you going on your year abroad Bella?”. Whilst asked with good intentions, once you’ve heard it 1,000 times, it gets tedious, to say the least.
My approval came in on the first of September and they expected us to arrive on the eighth (spoiler alert: the Taiwan Embassy Gods were not able to work their magic within this timeframe). So, the incredibly last-minute visa application was approved on the 9th (my flight had initially been booked for the sixth) which led to a quick flight change and two rounds of goodbyes.
GETTING THROUGH THE HEAVILY PROTECTED GATES OF TAIWAN
Shoving my life into two suitcases, masked up and well-documented, I arrived at terminal 3 with my parents. As I’m sure you are well aware, a global pandemic has meant that international travel is not what it used to be. After ignoring the “Say goodbye to your loved ones here” signs outside of the terminal, we got in the check in queue. As Taiwan globally has been viewed as a Covid-19 success story, they are understandably not rushing to open their borders.
To be granted entry into Taiwan, I needed:
- A letter of acceptance from my university and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- A coronavirus PCR test and the documentation of the provider
- A visa
- A study plan and letter of recommendation
- A photocopy of my passport
- My vaccination history
- The address of where I was staying after quarantine
Thankfully, I had all these prepared and they made up about ten percent of my overall luggage. Checking in took a long time, which just felt like I was postponing the inevitably painful goodbyes.
The reason checks took so long was because of my destination. Taiwan’s government have been understandably strict on who is and who is not allowed in. So three different airline employees must check every single travel document three times, to make sure all the documents are correct. If these documents were not correct and I had arrived in Taiwan, the airline would be liable for illegal entry. I did not know this at the time (but I wish I did) and I was getting increasingly stressed that I was not going to be able to make my plane, let alone get to Taiwan.
“Basically, if you picture a crying tortoise in a mask, that was me.”
When I could finally get through to security it was time to bid farewell to my parents. When you are preparing to move to a different country in non-Covid times, you have the mental safety net of ‘I could just get the next flight home’. But in that moment saying goodbye I didn’t (and still don’t) know when I was going to next see them in person. Basically, if you picture a crying tortoise in a mask, that was me. I was wearing green and had a big backpack which never fails to look like a second home on my back. Also, if you have ever wondered how much water you get from tears, cry whilst wearing a mask and you will certainly find out.
My sad tortoise-self went through security and gained a lot of attention from the guards, probably because I looked like a young woman in distress. So, when I beeped my way through the metal detectors and had to be questioned, I very helpfully started crying again (this was the moment I realised I would be a very unsuccessful smuggler). They eventually decided I was a waste of time and let me leave, by which time my plan of de-stressing in Duty Free by using all the testers until I smelt like a moving version of Lush was not on the cards. I boarded the plane and prepared myself for the next 11 hours.
THE LONG-AWAITED ARRIVAL
Arriving in Hong Kong was encouraging, the city lights and the view over the Dragon’s Back was incredible. The transfer was smooth, and I met two Australians moaning about the possibility of being put in Melbourne’s Holiday Inn compared to the Intercontinental for their quarantine. I would later look back on this and think: ‘what a nice problem to have’.
Arriving In Taiwan was, to say the least, another worldly experience. I should have known as soon as I saw the guy next to me put on a hazmat suit before we landed. I was assigned a helper who told me where to go, but only when stood at least five metres away. I bought a new Sim card which now, according to the government, was able to track my every move (which felt very George Orwell). Then I proceeded to the documentation check in immigration, which thanks to the previous checks was ok. I was given a MASSIVE badge which I put on my hip because it was too big for my chest…and was told to sit down whilst hazmat suits with worried faces ran around me. At this point I felt incredibly naked, like when you turn up to a wedding underdressed.
“I was herded into a taxi which was meant to take me to an ‘undisclosed location'”.
So, little old hazmat suit-less me was then moved in the strangest of processions to the taxi rank outside. In front was three ladies in hazmat suits, in the middle was me (a very scary 5”2 germy-monster), then at the back were a team of five who were *surprise, surprise* also in hazmat suits. They insisted on spraying every inch of the floor I touched, as if I was a living, breathing coronavirus particle. I was then herded into a taxi which was meant to take me to an ‘undisclosed location’ (not joking).
THE UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
Arriving at the quarantine facility was a reality check. I knew someone who had arrived the day before and was given a hotel room with a bed, a balcony, and a nice bathroom. So, I had high expectations that mine would be like this. It was not. What I arrived to was a broken air conditioner, a hard bed and a room that looked like a 70s office block. Although the view onto the jungle-like mountains was amazing, I was quite shocked. I was also dismayed that it wasn’t clean.
Initially, the room greatly effected my mood because I thought “Really? How can they expect me to stay in this depressing room for two weeks when it’s not even clean?” I felt like they had neglected to tell me this. Anyway, I was not on TripAdvisor and couldn’t change my room, so I just had to suck it up and accept it. My process of acceptance included calling my mum and crying down the phone. It is very easy to tell people you must quarantine but the reality of doing it is totally different.
“I then, rather bizarrely, joined him in a rendition of Mardy Bum”.
The food, temperature checks, blood tests and weird Squid Game-like announcements provided structure to my day. Being woken up religiously at 7:00 every day and being fed your last meal at 5:00pm, on top of not being able to step outside, felt like living in a prison. There was never any interaction, as it was illegal to communicate with other ‘residents’ of the facility. However, there are two experiences that will stick with me. The first being a man who used to scream and yell at least twice a day, which was both irritating and unsettling. My theories ranged from “This is how I will end up on day 10” to hoping he was just a weightlifting fanatic. The second memorable experience happened on my penultimate day, when a man started singing out the window with his guitar and we were able to talk. I then, rather bizarrely, joined him in a rendition of Mardy Bum, to which the guard in the courtyard below applauded.
THANK GOODNESS FOR FOOD, FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Food was a highlight as it was the only indication that I had moved halfway across the world. Some meals were delicious, some were ok, and some were borderline inedible. My favourites would be glass noodles and sweet and sour chicken, dumplings, and spring onion egg pancake. My least favourite was getting cold rice with plain meat five days in a row.
The overall experience had to be what I made it. I punctuated my days with calling family, my boyfriend, and friends. But the most useful conversations I had were with my course mate, Themi. Neither of us knew where the other was, but we compared hard beds, inedible food, and confided in each other how we were truly feeling. Having someone experiencing the exact same things at the same time was comforting, because we didn’t say unhelpful things like “Oh its flying by!”.
“My course mate tested positive, and became 25% of Taiwan’s Coronavirus cases”.
However, day 13 proved an interesting one as I was moved to an actual hotel for my next 7 days! The same day, Themi tested positive, and became 25% of Taiwan’s Coronavirus cases at the time (what an honour!). At this point, having moved to better surroundings, I had new freedoms like being able to go to convenience stores and walk outside for short periods of time. At least I didn’t have to do 5 weeks in quarantine, like Themi had to do. In hindsight, I don’t think I would have been able to do it.
Now looking back, it seems like ages ago, even though this is only the start of my third month in Taiwan. Quarantine is hopefully something we will reminisce about and be able to tell people about for years to come. It was a challenging but unique experience, which I think has given me more motivation to explore Taiwan. However, one thing is for certain, I will not be rushing back to my room in the mountains. If I have to do it again, I would very much appreciate being ‘randomly allocated’ somewhere where I am closer to civilisation and, more importantly, Uber eats.
Featured image by Mario Azzi taken from Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
Isabella Gualano
Chinese language student from the University Of Sheffield, currently living in Taiwan with a keen interest in writing.