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Back to China again …

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023

On June 16th, 2021 we returned to China. We had been planning to return almost since the day we left.

We were in Wuhan in 2020, and had been there since October 2017. In December, when we first heard word of a mystery flu there was concern, but not panic. Flu happens. Then an event was canceled and it seemed more serious, but then it seemed confined. We went on holiday to Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Shanghai. We had a great time. Visited sites, saw friends … in some form of order.

On January 21st, we headed home to Wuhan. Wuhan was our home. It was where my oldest son and I worked, and where our family lived. Adryan had not joined us on our trip as he wanted to chill in his apartment.

We took the train home. Now at this point more news was highlighting the virus, now simply known as COVID. Not sure when the 19 was first applied. As we sat in the train station, we saw more masks than was usual for cold and flu season. We were all tired, but still on a high from a really enjoyable trip. Masks had not become part of our personal reality at that point. A few hours, after the fast train had sped us home. We got home and crashed until the next morning. Emily and Wyatt were both feeling various symptoms of flu, so we trooped off to our local doctor. He has on office near the various shops where we would buy groceries, fruit, and vegetables.

The doctor examined Emily and Wyatt, and gave me the once over. He told us not to worry. Flu happens. It wasn’t anything serious, and would pass soon. He prescribed some antibiotics. We had learned to trust him as he had helped us over the previous year. Wyatt had caught an awful flu, as had a number of students in the school. After a few treatments and some rest, Wyatt was on the mend. We had recommended our doctor to friends and colleagues who were equally happy with his work.

Then we headed off to the market to stock up on tofu, fish, some meat, vegetables, and fruit. We planned to do a bigger shop later in the week.

We woke to a different world. On the 23rd of January 2020, at 3:00am, Wuhan went into lock-down. More than flu had happened. lock-down meant no leaving the city, no taxis, trains, trams, motorcycles or private cars. But, we didn’t know that when we ventured out that morning to gather a few essentials. We walked out onto a street devoid of people. An eerie quiet place. Then we turned a corner.

 

To avoid repeating myself, I’ve posted a couple of links

Wuhan Ciayou!

Coming Home: From Wuhan to Canada

Flashback to our return

Wednesday, August 9th, 2023

On Thursday, June 10, 2021, we went to the National Hospital and did a test. On Friday the results came back negative. We arranged the tickets, packed our bags, and tried not to forget too much.

Friday was filled with classes and conversations. Adryan and I talked about the future. What could he do, more than what should he do? Wyatt and I talked about possibilities and responsibilities. For both of our sons, I’ve tried to show that it is necessary to be prepared. Only by doing everything you can, will you be able to adapt to things whether than merely react to the unexpected.

Saturday, Grace came over with our grandson Theo. It’s always good to see them both. Two of our grandchildren are in Melbourne Australia attending school. And another granddaughter works for the company owned by our daughter Grace’s inlaws. We had dinner with them a few days before we left.

Emily prepared lists of chores for both boys. Sometimes they seem little more than wish lists, but occasionally things do get done. The alternative, just giving in to the inevitable, may be less frustrating but it doesn’t really help anyone.

Emily and I had already decided that it wasn’t a good idea for the family to come to the airport. Large weepy goodbyes are not a good idea in the time of Covid. We arranged for a taxi. The morning was occupied by the faint memories of forgotten items. Thankfully, I’d remembered to wear pants.

The preparation before the flight, packing, tests, uncertainty, and general annoyances were stressful. Then yesterday the flight was actually early. The problem was the 90 minutes we had to wait at baggage claim. We missed our shuttle bus.

Thankfully, we were able to call the hotel and get another in 40 minutes. By the time we got to the room, we ate a late lunch and slept for a couple of hours. That was about 3:00pm. Then we chilled for a bit and then took a walk.

We had bought some fried rice at the airport, so that was our late lunch/supper.
Talked to Wyatt, Adryan, and Grace. Watched some TV. Thankfully we managed to sleep.

The next day … Sriwijaya Air had set up a medical tent in their parking lot. There we did the medical test. Two blood tests, and then two sets of swab tests for nasal and oral swabs. These results were processed by two different hospitals.

That night and the next day were spent completing apps. The apps were mainly in Chinese, so it was frustrating. Add to that a dodgy hotel wifi, and it was a recipe for frayed nerves. We had a nice dinner at a Thai restaurant. we got back and finished what we could of the apps. Just in time, the results came and we add to complete uploading what had already seemed like a lot of information. Emily’s app was finished by 8:30pm. Mine took until almost 11:00pm. After what seemed too long, both apps returned a green code which meant we could fly the next morning.

We were up around 3:00am. We were downstairs by 3:45. Emily sat and I paced around. The airport shuttle was scheduled for 4:00am. The shuttle arrived and we arrived at the Soekarno Hatta airport in about 30 minutes. Except for the check-in we were in a mostly empty space. We went through the initial airport entry scans and such. Then the group heading to Hangzhou appeared.

We discovered to our delight that there were now two more apps to complete. I’m not good at airports, as I tend to notice everything. It puts me on edge, and I don’t relax.

A lot of the time was spent filling in online forms for contact tracing and medical check apps. Eventually, we had three apps that we showed to various health, immigration and customs officers.

The young man assigned to shepherd us through the process was helpful, and professional and we were finished in time to check in. I also discovered that I had left my sweater on the shuttle bus. It was the one that helped me cope with occasionally hyperactive air conditioners, It wasn’t expensive, but I liked that sweater.

We survived the check-in. For the most part, the process was efficient and polite.

We finally boarded the plane at 9:30am. No music or movies to be had. Likely don’t want to throw away perfectly good headphones. So, that’s why sleeping was the better part of valour.
So, after nearly 7 hours we arrived at Hangzhou.

We arrived, and have mostly thrived …

Thursday, March 22nd, 2018
https://duplezwrites.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/arriving-in-wuhan/

Back in China

Monday, March 19th, 2018
We returned to China on Halloween. Sorry to say, it wasn't too scary. [caption id="attachment_1779" align="alignnone" width="768"] Waiting[/caption] The flight was delayed. No one was ... [Continue reading this entry]