Top 9 Things To Do in Home Quarantine (Because I can’t think of 10)

I have been stuck at home in Kunming for 16 days now, but somehow the days are passing swiftly. Could have something to do with my new sleep cycle: going to bed at 3am and waking up at noon when half the day is already over.

I’ve been outside a few times for groceries and once to get my temperature checked at the community center. (I’m fine, don’t worry!)

There was, however, a moment of serious concern when my family found out that an infected resident lives in my grandma’s apartment building in Chongqing, where I celebrated Chinese New Year.

I can’t help but find some humor in that, though—of the 24 confirmed cases of infection in a district of 880,000 people in a city whose total population is over 30 million, one of the infected persons just happens to live three floors down from my grandma’s. The chances are SO INCREDIBLY slim, and yet, there it is. (But again, don’t worry, we are all fine and healthy.)

All of us are finding ways to keep ourselves sane and entertained as we continue this period of self-containment for who-knows-how-long. At least we are the lucky ones to be quarantined in our own homes! Some are stuck in hotel rooms, airports, or worse, in hospitals.

So, anyway, what have I been doing to keep myself busy these last few weeks?

1) Exercising and stretching

I am not a big fan of exercise, but I am proud to share that I’ve been consistently working out. It gives me energy, so I don’t feel like a sloth, and it helps keep off the kilos of rice and noodles.

Stretching also feels great when sitting becomes tiring and hurts the joints and muscles. I have also come to love foam-rolling, which my personal trainer friend has confirmed is great for times of limited movement.

2) Catching up on Hollywood classics

In one day, my mom and I watched four black and white films: Casablanca, Sabrina, Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Now we are on a Diane Keaton marathon with a sprinkle of Meryl Streep.

When we aren’t watching Western films, we are marathoning Chinese television series which are long and dramatic, perfect for killing these endless hours of quarantine.

3) Reading and writing to keep my brain functioning

I am indebted to my public library in Cambridge, MA for lending e-books. Unlike my poor cousin who is stuck at home alone without any more books to read, I can log onto my library’s website and check out books onto my Kindle!

As for writing, not only is it keeping my mind busy, it’s also therapeutic. Thanks for reading 🙂

4) Dance parties

Dancing has been a fantastic way to keep morale, boost energy levels, and digest. It has also been a great way to bond with my mom.

We have 小爱同学, the Xiaomi version of Google’s Alexa whom we turn to as our DJ, and whom turns out to be a big fan of Brother Louie, an upbeat 80s hit by Modern Talking. We are also training our hips to roll with the small selection of Latin beats our “Alexa” entertains us with, including Ricky Martin.

5) Embracing the internet and social media

I cannot imagine going through this quarantine without internet. A large part of what keeps me sane is staying in touch with my friends and other family members, like my cousin who lives alone on the other side of town.

Without the internet and social media, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the progress of this coronavirus nor would I be able to share this experience with you, the outside world.

I wouldn’t be able to take out those library books, watch those Hollywood classics, read the news, post Instagram photos and live vicariously through other peoples’ Instagram photos, nor would I be able to receive all these kind messages from friends checking in on me (thank you!!!).

So, thank you Berners-Lee (I had to google that), for inventing the World Wide Web.

6) Cleaning and disinfecting

My mom and I are in a persistent battle against dust and the coronavirus. We keep a spray bottle of disinfectant at the entrance to spray our shoes and jackets before wearing them into the house. Then we hang our coats and face masks on our balcony where the sun rays continue to disinfect (we like to think).

7) Absorbing Vitamin D

The sun is a glorious thing, so when it radiates onto our balcony in the afternoons, my mom and I pull up our little chairs to soak in all the Vitamin D we can get. It also helps us feel closer to the outdoors.

8) Absorbing other essential nutrients aka eating eating eating

Our number one pastime activity is….eating. My mom is becoming a master chef, and me, well I’ve always been a master eater.

In between meals and dance parties we also snack. It’s also what we do when we are watching TV and not watching TV. That’s why exercise is crucial during this time.

9) Staying positive

Above all, keeping a positive attitude is key to surviving quarantine. All of the activities above (all of which can be done in pajamas) are ways to keep our spirits lifted.

It also helps to think about the good things that have come out of this, like spending quality time with my mom and being more in touch with a cousin I had grown apart from. I’ve also been reading and exercising, things that had fallen off my list of priorities. And Casablanca..after all these years I finally watched Casablanca.

So, you see, quarantine isn’t all that bad…it’s more like a stay-cation! A time to catch up on all the things I’ve been meaning to catch up on!

Of course I’d rather be hiking the Inca Trail or swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. But I’m not. I’m traversing my living room and beaching on the couch. And that’s okay because when this is all over, I’m going to look back on this, laugh in disbelief that it ever happened, and be happy that I stuck it through with my family in China.

I want to point out, though, that I really, really am one of the lucky ones. I have friends who are business owners and it’s a real time of struggle for them. The economic loss is extreme, on top of the pressure to provide for their employees. So to these friends, I sincerely wish you all the best and hope you make it through.

*Added on March 13, 2020

I acknowledge that I write from a place of extreme privilege. I am not immunocompromised; I am not an employer nor am I currently employed, therefore I do not have to worry about putting food on the table, as many people do; and I am not in Wuhan where life these last couple months is completely unfathomable.

At the time of writing, people outside of China did not know what life looked like here, so I wanted to show them that we (the lucky ones outside of Wuhan) were not in a zombie-pocalypse.

I do not wish to downplay the severity of quarantine, including the emotional toll and financial burden it has on people. I simply wanted to shine some light of positivity into the dark chaos that was the coronavirus epidemic on the verge of becoming a pandemic.

Thank you for reading!